A case report of an undifferentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma with an unknown primary site

#4422

Introduction: In the situation where the primary lesion remains unknown, high-grade poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma typically shows extensive metastasis at the time of clinical visit. Common metastatic sites include the liver, bones, lungs and brain, and the prognosis is extremely poor.

Aim(s): Through a review of the diagnosis and treatment process of this case, further exploration is made on the treatment regimens for high-grade poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma with an unknown primary site.

Materials and methods: A 48-year-old Chinese female visited our hospital due to the discovery of bilateral inguinal lymph node enlargement for more than 3 months. Inguinal lymph node puncture biopsy was performed and diagnosed as metastatic poorly differentiated carcinoma, conforming to small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. After comprehensive examinations, the primary lesion was not found in the patient. After treatment with the EP regimen, re-examination revealed that the bone metastasis and lymph node metastasis had shrunk compared with before. During the chemotherapy interval, the patient returned for a follow-up visit, and it was found that brain metastasis occurred. The EP regimen was administered again, and the brain metastasis decreased, but the bone metastasis progressed compared with before.

Conference:

Presenting Author:

Authors: Lv J, Tang Y,

Keywords: poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma, unknown primary origin,