Molecular pathology of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms

Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs) are a heterogeneous group of lesions exhibiting different genetic and epigenetic characteristics that affect the biological behavior of the tumor. Due in large part to their relative scarcity, the study of the cellular and molecular biology of PanNENs has been challenging, and it has lagged behind that of other more common cancers. However, after decades of slight improvements, the recent application of modern molecular techniques such as gene expression profiling and high–throughput DNA sequencing has shown promising potential in the identification of the molecular features of PanNENs. The current status and recent advances in the assessment of the genetic and epigenetic features of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) and of pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinomas (PanNECs) will be reviewed