Neuroendocrine Tumors of Meckel's Diverticula: Rare but Fare Well

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are the most common malignancy arising in Meckel's diverticula (MDs). To date, there are no large series characterizing these tumors. The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with MD NETs (n = 162) from 2004 to 2014. Patient and tumor characteristics as well as outcomes were analyzed. MD NETs were more common in men (72.8%) at a median age of 62 years; 95.1 per cent of patients were white. All patients underwent surgery. Clinical M0 disease was present in 97.4 per cent of patients, and 88.2 per cent of tumors were well differentiated. Lymphovascular invasion was present in 13.2 per cent. Most (60.4%) tumors were less than 10 mm. Lymphadenectomy was performed in 32.9 per cent of patients, with 52.1 per cent of these found to have metastatic lymph node disease. Although most MD NETs are well differentiated, smaller than 10 mm, and do not have lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastases are commonly found, suggesting that mesenteric lymphadenectomy with adequate resection of the small bowel may be necessary for adequate staging and disease clearance.