Epidemiology of Neuroendocrine Tumors in an Iranian Population

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a rare and heterogeneous group of malignancies most commonly found in the gastrointestinal system. In this study, we examined the epidemiology of NETs in an Iranian population. The incident NET cases diagnosed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2014 were collected from databases of three hospitals in Tehran (Shoada-e-Tajrish Hospital, Imam Hossein Hospital and Pars Hospital). A total of 291 cases with NET diagnosis were identified. The most common NET location was gastrointestinal (71.4%), followed by Bronchopulmonary (7.2%) and Genitourinary (7.2%). The total number of identified NETs in our study increased from 25 cases in 2009 to 66 cases in 2014. In conclusion, our data suggests that the incidence of NETs is increasing slowly. Thus, etiologic studies for NETs are needed to help plan future preventive strategies. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.