What Are Neuroendocrine Tumours That Celebrities Like Steve Jobs And Irrfan Khan Died Of?

Known personalities like Steve Jobs and celebrities like Irrfan Khan have succumbed to death due to a rare type of cancer that originates from cells that belong to the neuroendocrine system, which produces and releases hormones into the bloodstream. These cells are dispersed throughout the body, notably in organs like the pancreas, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and adrenal glands. Although rare, Neuroendocrine Tumours or NETs have been observed because of their slow-growing nature, and for this reason, diagnosis and treatment can be challenging if not taken care of early on.

But what are NETs? How does this rare condition happen? We got in touch with Dr Aditya Gupta, Director- Neurosurgery, at Artemis Hospital Gurugram who shares insights on this rare condition. What Are Neuroendocrine Tumours?NETs are obtained from neuroendocrine cells, which are functional as nerves and hormone producers. Unlike regular cancer cells that grow aggressively and rapidly, many NETs grow very slowly, which sometimes delays the diagnosis.

NETs can be benign or malignant; even benign NETs cause significant health issues due to overproduction of hormones. “NETs secrete hormones like serotonin, gastrin, insulin, and so on, based on their location. This may cause different symptoms and, therefore, NETs come under the category of being functional or non-functional if it would produce symptoms by the release of hormones,” Dr Gupta explains.

Types Of Neuroendocrine TumoursDr Gupta shares that Neuro.