Pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms: the molecular landscape, therapeutic challenges, and diagnosis and management strategies
Lung neuroendocrine neoplasms are a group of diverse, heterogeneous tumours that range from well-differentiated, low-grade neuroendocrine tumours—such as typical and atypical carcinoids—to high-grade, poorly differentiated aggressive malignancies, such as large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). While the incidence of SCLC has decreased, the worldwide incidence of other pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms has been increasing over the past decades. In addition to the standard histopathological classification of lung neuroendocrine neoplasms, the introduction of molecular and sequencing techniques has led to new advances in understanding the biology of these diseases and might influence future classifications and staging that can subsequently improve management guidelines in the adjuvant or metastatic settings.
