LUNGS

Sites Where Lung Neuroendocrine Tumours Can Occur:

Lung NETs are the second most prevalent group of NETs.

•     “Typical” lung NETs rarely spread beyond the lungs as they generally grow more slowly. Nine out of 10 lung NETs fall into this category.
•      “Atypical” lung NETs are much less common but are generally more aggressive in their growth rate and tendency to spread.

Lung NETs include:

Associated Symptoms
Primary symptoms include the rapid and abnormal growth of bones and cartilage, a disorder known as acromegaly. Patients may experience excessive growth in the bones of the hands, feet, head and face. GRFomas are often associated with gastrinoma or certain genetic syndromes.
Associated Symptoms
Symptoms for LCNEC are typically the same as those for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and it has a similar prognosis, but LCNEC is less common. Confusingly, LCNEC is considered to be a type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is treated accordingly.
Associated Symptoms
Cough, blood in the sputum, chest pain, hoarseness, weight loss, shortness of breath, recurrent bronchitis or pneumonia, wheezing, tiredness or weakness. Symptoms such as bone pain, jaundice, lumps in the neck area, headache, numbness, balance problems or seizures may indicate the cancer has metastasized (spread) to other organs throughout the body.
Associated Symptoms
Symptoms may differ depending on tumour location and tumour size:
Centrally located tumours may cause a cough, blood in the sputum, wheezing, shortness of breath, pneumonia or chest pain.
Peripherally located tumours rarely cause symptoms.

Resources For Lung NETS