A tumor occurs when cells in the body become abnormal and multiply without control or order, forming a growth of tissue. A tumor can be benign or malignant. A benign tumor is not cancerous and usually can be removed without it causing much harm. A malignant tumor is cancerous and can be harmful if not found early and treated. It can invade and damage the body’s healthy tissues and organs.
The endocrine system consists of cells that produce hormones. Hormones are chemical substances that are formed in the body and carried in the bloodstream to have a specific regulatory effect on the activity of other organs or cells in the body. For example, a component of the pancreas is made up of specialized cells clustered together in islands within the organ, called islets of Langerhans. These cells produce multiple hormones, the most critical one being insulin, which is a substance that helps control the amount of sugar in the blood.
An endocrine tumor is a growth that affects the parts of the body that secrete hormones. Because an endocrine tumor arises from cells that produce hormones, the tumor itself can produce hormones and cause serious illness.
In addition, a neuroendocrine tumor originates from the hormone-producing cells, specifically those cells of the neuroendocrine system. The neuroendocrine system consists of cells that are a cross between traditional endocrine cells (or hormone-producing cells) and nerve cells. Neuroendocrine cells are found throughout the body in organs, such as the lungs and gastrointestinal tract, and perform specific functions, such as regulating the air and blood flow through the lungs and controlling the speed at which food is moved through the gastrointestinal tract.
There are several types of endocrine tumors. For more specific information on each type, select a name below:
Statistics
Since there are different types of endocrine tumors (listed above), please read the Cancer.Net Guide for each type of tumor for specific statistics regarding the number of people diagnosed and survival rates. Please note that these can vary widely and depend on many different factors, so it's important to talk with your doctor about statistics you find.
Survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. Estimates are based on data from thousands of cases of this type of tumor in the United States each year, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with an endocrine tumor. Because the survival statistics are often measured in five-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this tumor.
Find out more about basic cancer terms used in this section.
