Primitive neuroectodermal tumor

Not to be confused with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, which is also abbreviated as PNET.
Primitive neuroectodermal tumor
Other namesPNET
Micrograph of an H&E stained section of a peripheral PNET.
SpecialtyOncology

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor is a malignant (cancerous) neural crest tumor.[1] It is a rare tumor, usually occurring in children and young adults under 25 years of age. The overall 5 year survival rate is about 53%.[2]

It gets its name because the majority of the cells in the tumor are derived from neuroectoderm, but have not developed and differentiated in the way a normal neuron would, and so the cells appear "primitive". PNET belongs to the Ewing family of tumors.

  1. ^ "primitive neuroectodermal tumor" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  2. ^ Smoll, N. R. (2012). "Relative survival of childhood and adult medulloblastomas and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs)". Cancer. 118 (5): 1313–1322. doi:10.1002/cncr.26387. PMID 21837678. S2CID 8490276.
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