AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EJMO025440452
SHORT COMMUNICATION

Case count patterns and survival of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors in a large healthcare network: A retrospective analysis (2012–2024)

Fan Cao1* Michael Tseng2 Jiling Chou3 Priyanka Kanth2
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1 Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., United States of America
2 Department of Gastroenterology, MedStar University of Georgetown Hospital, Washington, D.C., United States of America
3 MedStar Research Health Institute, Columbia, Maryland, United States of America
Received: 18 December 2025 | Revised: 8 January 2026 | Accepted: 13 January 2026 | Published online: 20 February 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Introduction: Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors (GI NETs) represent 1–2% of malignancies arising in the digestive tract, and the incidence has increased in recent years due to greater use of diagnostic tools. However, institution-level patterns in GI NET case counts and survival remain undercharacterized.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate demographic and site-specific case count patterns and survival outcomes across a large multi-hospital healthcare system.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1,813 patients diagnosed with GI NETs across MedStar Health from November 2012 to September 2024. Cases were identified using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Tumors were categorized as benign, malignant, or mixed coding history based on ICD patterns. Case counts were stratified by sex, race, age, and tumor site. Survival analyses used unadjusted Kaplan–Meier curves and log-rank tests to compare tumor categories and six anatomical sites (appendix, large intestine, pancreas, rectum, small intestine, stomach).

Results: GI NET case counts increased over the study period, with higher counts observed among women and individuals aged 51–74 years. Most diagnoses occurred in White (45.8%) and Black (40.7%) patients. Small-intestinal and rectal NETs were the most frequently identified. Survival patterns showed that female sex, White race, younger age, and benign tumors were associated with the most favorable outcomes. Among all anatomical sites, rectal NETs demonstrated the highest long-term survival.

Conclusion: This large institutional study highlights meaningful demographic and site-specific variation in GI NET case counts and descriptive survival patterns. These findings underscore the need for future research addressing access-related and sociodemographic contributors to GI NET outcomes.

Keywords
Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors
Survival outcomes
Case patterns
Retrospective analysis
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing