Cruz-Diaz WE, Leonardo A, Saavedra A, Paitan V, Haro-Varas J, Mantilla R, Macetas J, Veramendi E, Pacheco C, Calderón M, Vidaurre T, Castro-Oliden V. Rectal neuroendocrine tumors in a Latin American population: Insights from a Peruvian national cancer institute. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(10): 110203 [PMID: 41114110 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i10.110203]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Wagner Eduardo Cruz-Diaz, MD, Department of Medical Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Avenida Angamos Este 2520, Surquillo, Lima 15038, Peru. wagner.cruz@upch.pe
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Oncology
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Retrospective Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Oct 15, 2025 (publication date) through Oct 26, 2025
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Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
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1948-5204
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Cruz-Diaz WE, Leonardo A, Saavedra A, Paitan V, Haro-Varas J, Mantilla R, Macetas J, Veramendi E, Pacheco C, Calderón M, Vidaurre T, Castro-Oliden V. Rectal neuroendocrine tumors in a Latin American population: Insights from a Peruvian national cancer institute. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(10): 110203 [PMID: 41114110 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i10.110203]
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Oct 15, 2025; 17(10): 110203 Published online Oct 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i10.110203
Rectal neuroendocrine tumors in a Latin American population: Insights from a Peruvian national cancer institute
Wagner Eduardo Cruz-Diaz, Angela Leonardo, Alexandra Saavedra, Victor Paitan, Juan Haro-Varas, Raul Mantilla, Jackeline Macetas, Eder Veramendi, Cristian Pacheco, Mónica Calderón, Tatiana Vidaurre, Victor Castro-Oliden
Wagner Eduardo Cruz-Diaz, Angela Leonardo, Alexandra Saavedra, Victor Paitan, Juan Haro-Varas, Jackeline Macetas, Eder Veramendi, Cristian Pacheco, Mónica Calderón, Tatiana Vidaurre, Victor Castro-Oliden, Department of Medical Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Lima 15038, Peru
Raul Mantilla, Department of Research, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas, Lima 15038, Peru
Author contributions: Cruz-Díaz WE participated in the study conception and design, developed the methodology, and prepared the original draft of the manuscript; Leonardo A and Saavedra A contributed to the data collection and curation; Paitan V and Haro-Varas J supervised the initial manuscript drafting; Paitan V, Haro-Varas J Macetas J, Veramendi E, and Pacheco C contributed to the review and editing of the manuscript; Mantilla R conducted statistical analysis; Calderon M, Vidaurre T, and Castro-Oliden V provided expert guidance, supervision, and critical review of the final version for important intellectual content. All authors critically reviewed and provided final approval of the manuscript and were responsible for the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Institutional review board statement: This retrospective study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas (Approval No. INEN 25-18).
Informed consent statement: The need for patient consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Wagner Eduardo Cruz-Diaz, MD, Department of Medical Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Avenida Angamos Este 2520, Surquillo, Lima 15038, Peru. wagner.cruz@upch.pe
Received: June 4, 2025 Revised: July 17, 2025 Accepted: September 8, 2025 Published online: October 15, 2025 Processing time: 136 Days and 6.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Well-differentiated rectal neuroendocrine tumors (rNETs) represent approximately 28% of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors, with a rising incidence over recent decades. However, data from Perú remains limited.
AIM
To assess overall survival (OS) in patients with rNETs and describe the clinical and pathological characteristics of the study population.
METHODS
This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with rNETs at the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas between 2009 and 2024. Qualitative variables were evaluated using the χ2 test through contingency tables. OS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between groups were assessed with the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate variables associated with OS. All statistical analyses were conducted using R software.
RESULTS
A total of 52 patients were included, with a mean age of 51.9 years (range: 27-74 years) and composed of 65.4% females. The most common stage at diagnosis was stage I (48.1%), followed by stage IV (36.5%). The median OS within the study population was 76 months. The 5-year OS for grade 1 tumors was 92.9% compared to 32.6% for grade 2 tumors (P = 0.00032). The median OS was 48 months for tumors exceeding 20 mm in size, whereas it was not reached for tumors measuring 20 mm or less (P = 0.0056). Similarly, the median OS for patients classified as lymph node involvement 1 was 46 months, while it was estimated at 112 months for those classified as lymph node involvement 0 (P = 0.0063).
CONCLUSION
rNETs exceeding 2 cm in size, classified as grade 2, or presenting with lymph node involvement 1 status were correlated with advanced disease stages and diminished survival outcomes.
Core Tip: This retrospective study encompassed the largest known Peruvian patients with well-differentiated rectal neuroendocrine tumors. With a median overall survival of 76 months and a 5-year survival rate of 60.6%, outcomes were significantly affected by tumor size, grade, and nodal status. Grade 2 tumors, lesions > 20 mm, and nodal involvement were linked to poorer survival. These findings provide important regional data and support the integration of these factors into risk-stratification strategies for rectal neuroendocrine tumors in Perú.
