Serum Chromogranin Level in Gastrointestinal, Pancreas, and Liver Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Brief Report

Background: Chromogranin is a marker that can be detected in the tissue of the neuroendocrine tumors (NET) by immunohistochemistry and as a biomarker for the diagnosis and follow-up of NET. In this study, we evaluated the correlation of prognostic characteristics of NETs (Ki67, location, and size) with the chromogranin level. Method: In this case-control study, we measured the serum level of chromogranin in 50 cases of NETs from different locations of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and pancreas as well as 30 healthy individuals for one year (2016). The correlation of this level was evaluated with Ki67, size, and location of the tumors (main prognostic predictors of NETs). Results: The level of chromogranin in the above-mentioned 80 tumoral and healthy cases was 37 to 2585 ng/ml (242.3±439.4). The level of chromogranin in NETs and normal cases was 326.3±525.3 and 51.5±16.7, respectively. This level showed a statistically significant correlation with the Ki67 percentage and the tumor grade (P- value <0.05). There was no correlation between size and chromogranin level, but the highest level was detected in liver NETs. The cut-off level of 61.2 ng/ml correlated with the presence of NET with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 70%. Conclusion: Chromogranin level can be used as a prognostic biomarker that is correlated with the grade of NETs and very high levels of this marker can be indicative of liver involvement. The cut-off level of 61.2 ng/ml can be considered as one of the predictors of the NET in the gastrointestinal, liver, or pancreas.