Association between surveillance imaging and survival outcomes in small bowel neuroendocrine tumors

Background Surveillance guidelines following the resection of small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SB‐NETs) are inconsistent. We evaluated the impact of surveillance imaging on SB‐NET recurrence and overall survival (OS). Methods Patients with completely resected SB‐NETs referred to a provincial cancer center (2004–2015) were reviewed. Associations between imaging frequency, recurrence, post‐recurrence treatment, and OS were determined using univariate and Cox‐regression analyses. Results Among 195 completely resected SB‐NET patients, 31% were ≥70 years, 43% were female, and 80% had grade 1 disease. Imaging frequency was predictive of recurrence (hazard ratio 2.52, 95% confidence interval 1.84–3.46, p