Gender Differences in Prognosis of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors - A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on the SEER Database

Q: What data source and study design were used to assess gender-related prognosis in PanNETs?

The study used a retrospective cohort design with patient data extracted from the SEER database for diagnoses between 2000 and 2020.

Q: How did the study address potential selection bias in comparing males and females?

Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to mitigate selection bias before survival comparisons.

Q: What statistical methods were used to evaluate overall survival differences?

Overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox regression.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

Gender is a recognized prognostic factor for many cancers, yet its impact on pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) survival is not well defined. This retrospective cohort study used the SEER database to evaluate gender-based differences in overall survival among patients diagnosed from 2000 to 2020. Propensity score matching, Kaplan-Meier estimation, and multivariable Cox regression assessed associations while accounting for selection bias.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Study design and data source

Statistical analysis

Results

Conclusions

Keywords

Authors and Affiliations

Gender Differences in Prognosis of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on the SEER Database Cancer Control Volume 33: 1-13 © The Author(s) 2026 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/10732748261417419](DOI: 10.1177/10732748261417419) [journals.sagepub.com/home/ccx](journals.sagepub.com/home/ccx) Yining Li, MD 1,*, Shuaiyang Zhou, MD2,*, Qiao Qiao, MD 1, Ke Ji, MD 1, Qin Li, MD3, Zhenguo Qiao, MD2 􀀁, and Ping Zhang, MD3 Abstract Introduction: While gender is a known prognostic factor for many cancers, its speciﬁc role in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) survival remains poorly characterized. This study aimed to investigate gender-based differences in PanNETs prognosis using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with PanNETs between the years 2000 and 2020, extracted from the SEER database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to mitigate potential selection bias. Overall survival (OS) was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox regression. Results: Among the 5155 patients included (2814 males, 2341 females), males showed signiﬁcantly worse OS than females both before (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29, 95% CI 1.14-1.47, P < 0.001) and after (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.02-1.38, P = 0.026) PSM. Subgroup analyses conﬁrmed a consistent OS advantage for females across most categories. Multivariable analysis identiﬁed marital status, age, tumor grade, gender, year of diagnosis, N stage, M stage, and surgical intervention as independent predictors of OS. Similar predictors were found in males, whereas in females, marital status, age, grade, N stage, M stage, and surgery were speciﬁcally signiﬁcant. Conclusions: Female patients with PanNETs exhibit superior OS rates. Further research is needed to clarify the biological and clinical mechanisms underlying these gender-related disparities. Keywords gender, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, overall survival, SEER Received: October 21, 2025; revised: December 17, 2025; accepted: January 2, 2026. Introduction Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs), which originate from the neuroendocrine cells of the pancreas, constitute a unique category of tumors, accounting for approximately 3% - 5% of all pancreatic neoplasms.1-3 Recent progress in diagnostic techniques and increased recognition of endocrine tumors have led to a rise in the number of identiﬁed PanNET cases.4 According to the National Cancer Institute’s registry, the United States reports an estimated 1000 new cases of PanNETs each year.5 Based on their clinical behavior, PanNETs are primarily classiﬁed into functional and non-functional types 1 Digestive Endoscopy Center, Afﬁliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China 2Department of Gastroenterology, Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital, Suzhou Ninth Hospital Afﬁliated to Soochow University, Suzhou, China 3Department of Emergency, Wuxi No. 2 People’s Hospital, Wuxi, China *Yining Li and Shuaiyang Zhou contributed equally to this article. Corresponding Authors: Zhenguo Qiao, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital, Suzhou Ninth Hospital Afﬁliated to Soochow University, 2666 Ludang Road, Wujiang District, Suzhou 215200, China. Email: [qzg66666666@163.com](qzg66666666@163.com) Ping Zhang, MD, Department of Emergency, Wuxi No.2 People’s Hospital, 68 Zhongshan Road, Wuxi 214000, China. Email: [20174132030@stu.suda.edu.cn](20174132030@stu.suda.edu.cn) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the

FAQs

What data source and study design were used to assess gender-related prognosis in PanNETs?

The study used a retrospective cohort design with patient data extracted from the SEER database for diagnoses between 2000 and 2020.

How did the study address potential selection bias in comparing males and females?

Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to mitigate selection bias before survival comparisons.

What statistical methods were used to evaluate overall survival differences?

Overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox regression.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick