Concomitant autoimmune gastritis was found in 33·3% of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease, 17·5% of whom had ECL-cell hyperplasia that evolved to GNEN1 in one (2·5%). Larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to define the incidence of GNEN1 in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease and ECL-cell hyperplasia and potential implications.

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Objective: Although a number of familiar syndromes are associated with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP), there is no information regarding the prevalence of PHP in other sporadic neuroendocrine diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of PHP in our group of patients with gastric carcinoid (GC) type 1 tumors. Methods: Twenty-six patients with biopsy-proven GC type 1 tumors were retrospectively studied. The diagnosis of PHP was suspected following elevated or high-normal serum calcium levels and elevated or inappropriate normal parathyroid hormone levels. Further tests for the localization of the hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands included neck ultrasound, ^99mTc-SESTAMIBI scanning, and cervical or upper mediastinal MR imaging studies. Four control groups were also studied: two age- and sex-matched groups of individuals with (n = 49) and without (n = 34) thyroid autoimmunity and normal endoscopy of the stomach, a third group with nongastric neuroendocrine tumors (n = 68), and a fourth group with atrophic gastritis and hypergastrinemia, without gastric endocrine tumors (n = 30). Results: PHP was diagnosed in 4 (15.38%) patients with GC type 1 tumors compared to none of the 4 control groups. Three of the 4 patients with PHP were operated and proved to have a parathyroid adenoma. No statistically significant differences were observed between patients with or without PHP in mean gastrin and chromogranin A levels, number of lesions, ki-67 labeling index expression, and maximum GC type 1 tumor diameter. Conclusion: PHP seems to be relatively common, approximately 15% in the present cohort, in patients with GC type 1 tumors. PHP should be actively looked for in such patients and treated accordingly.

Many neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are small and may escape localization by conventional imaging techniques. In such cases, 11C-5-hydroxy-tryptophan (11C-5-HTP) positron emission tomography (PET) has been tested as an additional diagnostic tool. Nine patients with clinically, biochemically and/or histologically confirmed NET and negative computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 111In-pentetreotide (Octreoscan) scintigraphy underwent imaging with 11C-5-HTP-PET/CT in order to: 1) detect the primary tumor lesion in three patients; 2) detect residual disease in two patients with appendiceal carcinoid, one with rectal carcinoid, one with midgut carcinoid, and one with ectopic ACTH secretion (EAS) due to residual pulmonary carcinoid; and 3) restage a patient with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and hepatic metastases. 11C-5-HTP-PET/CT detected lesions in the mediastinum in a patient with EAS due to a pulmonary carcinoid, further hepatic metastases in a patient with carcinoid syndrome (CS) from a NET of unknown primary, further hepatic metastases in the patient with MTC, and hepatic metastases in the patient with midgut carcinoid. The 11C-5-HTP-PET/CT findings contributed to radical cure of the patient with recurrent EAS, and pointed towards bilateral adrenalectomy in the patient with EAS without evident primary tumor. In addition, 11C-5- HTP-PET/CT directed towards combined surgical and medical treatment in the patient with CS and multiple rather than single hepatic metastases and in the patient with midgut carcinoid, and towards continuation of medical treatment in the patient with MTC. 11C-5-HTP-PET/CT is a useful imaging technique, providing additional information for the diagnosis, staging and decision-making regarding management of patients with NET.

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