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Hormonal and Rare Conditions Neuroendocrine Tumors Symptoms
Symptoms
About GEP-NETS

Symptoms

The symptoms of GEP-NETs are wide-ranging and may vary from person to person. They also tend to develop very gradually over time. 

It all depends on:

WHERE the tumour is (e.g. in the pancreas or the small intestine)1

What the tumour is DOING (is it sending out hormones into the bloodstream or is it just sitting there?)1

Three text boxes labelled general symptoms, symptoms related to where the tumour is, and symptoms related to the release of hormones. General symptoms: Tiredness, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss. Symptoms related to where the tumour is: Persistent pain in a specific area, thickening or a lump in any part of the body, nausea or vomiting, a cough or hoarseness that does not go away, changes in bowel or bladder habits, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), unusual bleeding or discharge. Symptoms related to the release of hormones: (Depending on where the tumour is) diarrhoea, facial flushing usually without sweating, hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar), hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), gastric ulcer disease, confusion, anxiety. (Reference 1).

Some people may also experience nutritional deficiencies.

Because symptoms are so varied, and can also be put down to lots of other health conditions, it can be difficult to diagnose GEP-NETs.2,3

References

  1. NIH. NET symptoms and signs. Available at: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/neuroendocrine-tumors/symptoms-and-signs. Last accessed September 2020.
  2. Singh S et al. Patient-Reported Burden of a Neuroendocrine Tumor (NET) Diagnosis: Results From the First Global Survey of Patients With NETs. J Glob Oncol. 2017;3(1):43-53.
  3. Basuroy R et al. Delays and routes to diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumours. BMC Cancer. 2018; 18: 1122.