Gao LL, Gao DN, Yuan HT, Chen WQ, Yang J, Peng JQ. Combining anti-PD-1 antibodies with surufatinib for gastrointestinal neuroendocrine carcinoma: Two cases report and review of literature. World J Clin Oncol 2025; 16(4): 102297 [DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v16.i4.102297]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jie-Qiong Peng, Department of Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 440 Jiyan Road, Jinan 250117, Shandong Province, China. 15589116608@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Lou-Lu Gao, Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266000, Shandong Province, China
Dong-Ni Gao, Department of Oncology, Shandong Public Health Clinical Center, Jinan 250100, Shandong Province, China
Hong-Tu Yuan, Department of Pathology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, Shandong Province, China
Wen-Qiang Chen, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Jing Yang, Jie-Qiong Peng, Department of Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Lou-Lu Gao and Dong-Ni Gao.
Co-corresponding authors: Jing Yang and Jie-Qiong Peng.
Author contributions: Gao LL, Gao DN, and Peng JQ wrote the draft of the manuscript; Yang J and Peng JQ polished the manuscript; and Yuan HT, Chen WQ, and Peng JQ prepared figures; all authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final manuscript. Gao LL and Gao DN contributed equally to this work as co-first authors. Peng JQ and Yang J are the co-corresponding authors of this paper. During the hospitalization of the two patients in this paper, these two authors were respectively responsible for the treatment and nursing work. The two authors jointly monitored the two patients and jointly provided information and data in the final article. The contributions of the two authors to this paper are equivalent. With the collective consent of all authors, Peng JQ and Yang J serve as co-corresponding authors.
Informed consent statement: The patient had sighed the Informed consent form.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jie-Qiong Peng, Department of Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 440 Jiyan Road, Jinan 250117, Shandong Province, China. 15589116608@163.com
Received: October 14, 2024 Revised: December 20, 2024 Accepted: February 27, 2025 Published online: April 24, 2025 Processing time: 163 Days and 4.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine carcinoma (GI NEC) has a low incidence rate and poor prognosis. Most patients already have metastatic disease when they are diagnosed. Platinum chemotherapy is the main means of treating metastatic GI NECs. There is a lack of effective treatment methods after chemotherapy failure. Therefore, Therefore, selecting appropriate posterior-line treatment programs to improve the prognosis of patients is urgently needed.
CASE SUMMARY
A 64-year-old female was diagnosed with stage IV NEC of the rectum due to abdominal pain and rectal bleeding. After multiline chemotherapy, the condition progressed, and the patient was treated with a combination of camrelizumab and surufatinib. The efficacy evaluation revealed partial remission (PR) and stable conditions, with the expression of the tumor marker neuron-specific enolase (NSE) returning to normal. The adverse reactions were controllable, and the overall condition was good, with weight gain achieved in the past four years. Another 51-year-old female experienced recurrence and metastasis of a duodenal NEC after surgery. After multiline chemotherapy, she received sintilimab combined with surufatinib. The curative effect fluctuated between PR and stability. During treatment, she recovered from immune-related diabetes and later died due to deterioration of her condition. During the treatment, the patient’s NSE level returned to normal.
CONCLUSION
The combination of antiangiogenic targeted drugs and immunotherapy provides a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of metastatic GI-NECs.
Core Tip: Effective treatment options for metastatic gastrointestinal neuroendocrine carcinomas (GI-NECs) are limited after chemotherapy failure. This study presents the cases of two patients with metastatic rectal and duodenal neuroendocrine carcinomas who achieved sustained remission and long-term survival through a combination of antiangiogenic targeted therapy and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. These cases highlight the potential of this combination as a posterior-line treatment for GI-NECs, offering new insights into their management.
