About 7% of NETs occur in the pancreas. Pancreatic NETs are sometimes called pNETs.
The pancreas is in the upper abdomen behind the stomach. It has two essential functions:
Some pNETs may not cause any signs or symptoms. But pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors may overproduce hormones and cause a range of symptoms, depending on the hormone. Some of the symptoms include:
Most pNETS do not appear to be inherited but some risk factors can run in families. A few different syndromes can increase a person’s risk of developing pNETs, including:
Having one of these risk factors does not mean you will develop a NET; it simply increases the likelihood.
PNET vs. pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer is not the same as “pancreatic cancer,” which usually refers to pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Though they occur in the same organ, these are two different types of cancer.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine cancer differ in terms of cause, symptoms, tests, and treatments.
NETs can occur throughout the body, but most commonly form in the GI tract, pancreas, lungs and adrenal glands.