Key Statistics for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare. Less than 2% of all cancers found in the pancreas each year are pancreatic NETs.
However, the number of pancreatic NETs diagnosed each year has been rising over time. This is thought to be partly because they are being found more often incidentally, when imaging tests such as CT or MRI scans of the abdomen are done for other reasons. The ability to distinguish these tumors from other types of cancers in the lab has also improved, leading to more of them being diagnosed.
Most people with pancreatic NETs are older, with the average age at diagnosis being 60.
For statistics related to survival, see Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Survival Rates by Stage.
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The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
American Joint Committee on Cancer. Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Pancreas. AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. 8th ed. New York, NY: Springer; 2017.
Das S, Dasari A. Epidemiology, Incidence, and Prevalence of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Are There Global Differences? Curr Oncol Rep. 2021 Mar 14;23(4):43. doi: 10.1007/s11912-021-01029-7. PMID: 33719003; PMCID: PMC8118193.
National Cancer Institute. Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (Islet Cell Tumors) Treatment (PDQ?). 8/19/22. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/pancreatic/hp/pnet-treatment-pdq on August 4, 2024.
Last Revised: August 22, 2024
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