Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (WD-NET) have a relatively low tumor mutation burden and do not commonly express the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), characteristics which may limit the anti-tumor activity of PD-L1 inhibitors in this disease. Response rate to single agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for patients with G1-3 NET is <15%. The intensity of anti-tumor immune response may be enhanced by addition of liver-directed therapy (LDT), such...

Background: Expected progression free survival (PFS) for patients with grade 3 well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (WD NET) treated with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is approximately 9 months, and objective response rate (ORR) is 35%. Response rate to single agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for patients with G1-3 NET is <15%. Delivery of targeted radiation using PRRT may potentiate the anti-tumor immune response. The purpose of this study is t...

We are all aware of the current anxieties over the future of Academic Medicine and Modernising Medical Careers. 10 years ago the BMA cohort of 1995 Medical graduates: Medical Academic Career Intentions was performed. 545 doctors graduating in 1995 were followed up for 10 years. The key findings included: those doctors working in research were doing so to improve future career prospects or as a means to secure a National Training Number (NTN). However being in the transition pe...

MD are the most frequent complaint of women with Cushing Syndrome at the time of diagnosis.Objective: To study the frequency of occurrence of MD in patients with Syndrome Cushing and to characterize their clinical and hormonal parallels. We investigated 34 women (average age of 27 years, variation in age from 18 to 30 years) with a newly identified ACTHA. The patients were divided into 4 groups: (1) the normal cycle is 26–31 days; (2) oligomenorrhea...

Background: G3NETs demonstrate variable clinical behavior (Ki-67>20-100%). Treatment extrapolated from grade 1/2 (G1/2) NETs and neuroendocrine carcinomas depending on clinicopathologic features. Therapy for treatment-emergent G3NETs remains especially ill-defined.Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients with de novo G3NETs or progressing from low-to-high grade (L-H) (G1/2 at diagnosis and G3 >=3 months later). Treatment patterns compared ...

Background: Patients with small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SBNETs) frequently present with metastatic disease, and unfortunately, the range and efficacy of available therapies is limited. Immunotherapeutic checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated benefit in other malignancies and may also play a role in SBNETs, although relatively little is known about the immune infiltrate in these tumors. Toward a goal of developing novel immunomodulatory strategies, we sought to evaluate t...

In all probability, a thesis is the longest single document that anyone is likely to write as a scientist. It requires much planning to ensure that the thesis gets written and submitted on time. To begin with, plan the overall outline of the thesis. With some variation, most theses begin with a comprehensive introduction/literature review. A chapter describing the materials and methods invariably follows. The subsequent chapters contain the material you have sweated over i.e. ...

Background: There has been increasing interest in the relationship between lifestyle and NET. Results from previously published small observational studies indicate that smoking, alcohol and diabetes may contribute to NET development, but the reported data is conflicting. Additionally, little data is available on diet and physical activity. The aim of the current study is to investigate the association between lifestyle factors and NET development in a large prospective cohort...

Background: High-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms (HG-NENs) are a heterogenous and biologically aggressive rare subset of NENs. Few therapeutic options are available to metastatic HG-NENs. To date, first line treatment is platinum- or temozolomide-based chemotherapy which provide modest benefits in overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Given the promising activity of immunotherapy across several cancer types, our center initiated a phase II trial of pembroli...

Low concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the major circulating storage form, are common in the general population. Over recent decades, there has been increasing evidence for a role of vitamin D in disease pathogenesis far beyond the musculoskeletal system. Thus, many studies have investigated whether low levels of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D have a detrimental effect on pregnancy outcomes, for both mother and offspring, and whether supplementation with vitamin D might a...