Endocrine Surgery

Operation i endokrinkirurgi. Fotograf Mikael Wallerstedt

Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

The Endocrine Surgery Research Group studies the genetics, diagnostics and treatment of endocrine tumors.

The Endocrine Surgical Research Group runs studies of genetics, diagnosis and treatment of endocrine tumours, in order to identify genes involved in tumour development and progression, and to ultimately provide possibilities for new treatment. We have always included translational studies in our work. In clinical studies genetic changes are related to the disease course of individual tumours, with the overall aim to improve diagnosis and treatment in patients with endocrine tumour disease. We are also studying indications for surgery, survival benefits and optimization of surgery from different perspectives.

Research

Our aims

Endocrine tumours are of special interest in tumour biology because of a common extended disease course, and often presence of only few specific genetic changes, which can be related to variable tumour biology. For many endocrine tumours histopathology can often not distinguish tumours with more malignant biological features, and there is a general hope that genetic differences will provide better means of discrimination. Genetic studies are expected to become of great importance for the clinical management by predicting prognosis, and genetic defects may be used as targets for new treatment. The overall aim of the studies is to identify tumour genes and other prognostic markers of importance for the development and progression of endocrine tumours, reveal gene changes with new technology, and investigate new possibilities of treatment against tumour progression.

Other research, more clinical, lines are the studies of treatment of liver metastases in small intestinal as well as pancreatic NETs, to pinpoint the surgical indication and the efficacy of surgical treatment. Also non-surgical treatment is scrutinized as an option. In thyroid surgery postoperative hypoparathyroidism has been displayed as a far more important and frequently occurring complication than previously expected. The novel analogue 18F-CETO for PET has been developed by us, and is now established for adrenocortical disease. Further studies with 18F-CETO-PET/CT is ongoing for further clarification of its role especially in adrenocortical cancer and primary aldosteronism.

Collaboration

Collaboration is continuously running with other groups within Academic Hospital: Uppsala Centre of Excellence for Endocrine Tumors. We have a national certificate to perform highly specialized care in patients with advanced small intestinal NETs, all pancreatic NETs, adrenal tumours, and carcinoid heart disease.

Collaboration is also ongoing in Sweden with other certified NET centers (Gothenburg, Lund, Stockholm) and internationally with Groeningen, Harvard in Boston, Melbourne, Cambridge, Oxford and Sydney.

As an overall resource we have access to >3000 specimens and blood samples from patients operated for endocrine tumours during >20 years. The samples, stored at Uppsala Biobank, have being used in many previous studies and is a valuable and important source in our studies.