What is neuroendocrine tumor? Irrfan Khan diagnosed with rare disease

Actor Irrfan Khan in a recent statement revealed that he has been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor.

He shared on Twitter: "The unexpected makes us grow, which is what the past few days have been about. Learning that I have been diagnosed with NeuroEndocrine Tumour as of now has admittedly been difficult, but the love and strength of those around me and that I found within me has brought me to a place of hope. The journey of this is taking me out of the country, and I request everyone to continue sending their wishes."

The Life of Pi actor also said in his tweet: "To those who waited for my words, I hope to be back with more stories to tell." 

He had posted a statement on Twitter March 5 saying that he was suffering from a rare disease.

He revealed March 16 the rare disease he is suffering from. Here is all you need to know about it:

What is neuroendocrine tumor?

Neuroendocrine tumors are the abnormal growths in specialized cells called neuroendocrine cells that have traits similar to nerve cells and to hormone-producing cells. The rare tumor can occur anywhere in the body — lungs, small intestine, appendix, pancreas, and rectum, according to Mayo Clinic.

The tumors can be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). The diagnosis and treatment of the tumors depend on the type of tumor it is, the location of the tumor and how aggressive it is and also whether it is spreading to other parts of the body.

Symptoms

Different types of neuroendocrine tumors have different symptoms. It depends on the location of the tumor.

However, there are some common symptoms of the disease, like high blood pressure, fatigue, abdominal pain, cramping, feeling of fullness, swelling in the feet and ankles, diarrhea, shortness of breath, skin lesions, and high or low blood glucose levels.

Stages of neuroendocrine tumors

It is very important to identify the stage of the tumor for its proper treatment.

Neuroendocrine tumors might be contained in a particular area of the body (localized), spread in the nearby tissues or lymph nodes (regional) or could have spread all throughout the body (metastatic), according to Cancer Treatment Centers of America.