Neuropilin 2 and soluble neuropilin 2 in neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Neuropilin 2 (NRP2), a transmembrane non-tyrosine kinase receptor, has been described as a potential critical player in the tumourigenesis of several solid cancers and particularly in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). A soluble form of NRP2 (sNRP2) has been previously described and corresponds to a truncated splice isoform. Its prognostic value has never been studied in NEN. NRP2 expression was studied by immunochemistry on tissue microarrays (n = 437) and on circulating tumour cells (CTCs, n = 5 patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma, NEC). We described the levels of sNRP2 in 229 patients with NEN using the ELISA method to identify the factors associated with sNRP2 levels and to evaluate its prognostic role; 90 blood donors represented the healthy control group. NRP2 was found in 97% of neuroendocrine tumours (396/410) and in 74% of NEC (20/27). NRP2 was also expressed in CTC of all the studied patients. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that sNRP2 had a weak capacity to discriminate between NEN patients and healthy controls (area under curve (AUC) = 0.601, P = 0.053). Abnormal sNRP2 levels were associated with inflammatory syndrome, bone and peritoneal metastases, and abnormal chromogranin A levels. Patients with high sNRP2 levels (sNRP2Q3-Q4) had significantly poorer overall survival in multivariate analysis (HR 0.16, 95% CI (0.04-0.67), P = 0.015). In conclusion, the present study found that sNRP2 and NRP2 could represent a new prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target, respectively, particularly in aggressive NEN.

A key role for conservative treatment in the management of pituitary apoplexy.

PURPOSE: The management of pituitary apoplexy, a rare emergency neuroendocrine condition, is controversial. The aim of the present study is to compare the outcomes of patients with pituitary apoplexy managed either by a conservative or surgical approach. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study including patients diagnosed between 2007 and 2018 in a tertiary French university hospital. Pituitary Apoplexy Score (PAS) was retrospectively applied in the perspective of therapeutic decision support. RESULTS: Forty-six patients were treated for pituitary apoplexy either with conservative management (n = 27) or surgery (n = 19). At initial evaluation, visual field defects (VFD) and visual acuity impairment were more frequent in patients from the surgery group. At 1 year there were no statistical differences in the rates of complete/near-complete resolution of VFD (100 vs. 91.7%), visual acuity impairment (100 vs. 87.5%), and cranial nerve palsies (83.3 vs. 100%), between conservative and surgical treatment groups. There were more endocrine deficits at 1 year in the surgical group (p = 0.029). PAS (n = 41) was 3.4 on average in the early surgery group and 1.3 in the conservative treatment/delayed surgery group. Among patients with a score < 4, 31.3% were operated at first line and did not present better outcomes than patients managed conservatively. In all, 88.9% of patients with a score ≥ 4 underwent surgery. CONCLUSIONS: PAS may be a reliable parameter for defining therapeutic strategy. Patients with non-severe and nonprogressive neuro-ophthalmological deficits can be managed conservatively without negative impact on outcomes, thus surgery should be reserved only for those patients with a PAS ≥ 4.