Neuroendocrine disorders: problems of diagnosis (clinical treatment)

The heterogeneity of neuroendocrine tumors not only in their localization, but also in their clinical manifestations, the lack of clear criteria and algorithms for their diagnosis, as well as the low alertness of doctors in the general clinical network regarding the timely detection of this group of tumors, in most cases leads to their late diagnosis, resulting in only the palliative stage of their treatment. A clinical case is presented to demonstrate the relevance of the problem.

A clinical case. Since March 2020, the patient has been periodically bothered by loose, mushy stools. During an examination in the clinic, according to computed tomography of the abdominal organs from 02/20/2021, a neoplasm of the head and body of the pancreas with invasion of the portal and splenic veins, subtotal lesion of the pancreas with vascular invasion) and multiple liver metastases was detected, taking into account the results of computed tomography studies, pancreatic malignancy, T3NxM1, multiple metastases in the liver.

Conclusions. The variety of clinical manifestations of neuroendocrine tumors complicates their early diagnosis and treatment, which requires high oncological alertness, effective interaction of specialists and the creation of national protocols for early detection and therapy.

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