Next Generation Total-Body PET/CT: Challenges and Opportunities
Long-axial field-of-view (LAFOV) systems have changed the field of molecular imaging. Since their introduction, many PET centres have installed these next-generation digital systems to provide more detailed imaging and acquire PET images in a single bed position. Indeed, vertex to thigh imaging for oncological indications can be obtained in most of the population with the currently available LAFOV systems. Moreover, Total Body (TB) PET, a subtype of LAFOV, enables imaging the entire patient—from vertex through the toes—with one bed-position for most of the population. This review aims to identify possible challenges and opportunities for PET-centres working with TB and LAFOV…
Phase 1/2 Trial Evaluating CRN09682 for the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumors and Other Somatostatin Receptor 2-Expressing Tumors
Crinetics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1/2 Trial Evaluating CRN09682 for the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumours and Other Somatostatin Receptor 2-Expressing Tumours Read the news - click here Clinical Trial Document - click here Limited to US (6 locations) (so far). CRN09682, a first‑in‑class non‑peptide drug conjugate (NDC) developed by Crinetics Pharmaceuticals. The company recently announced that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 1/2 clinical trial — a significant milestone for a therapy designed to deliver precision‑targeted cytotoxic activity without the use of radiation or standard chemotherapy. What is CRN09682? CRN09682 is engineered to target somatostatin…
Another Next Generation PET/CT is coming soon. The Omni 128cm Total Body PET – Small Australian trial at Peter Mac
A Global first for NET. Omni 128cm Total Body PET at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne Australia. According to Professor Michael Hofman, they have been using the camera for a couple weeks and it is exceeding their expectations. They're running a short trial comparing results against regular PETs. The great news is that part of the trial will be a prospective sub-trial around dual FDG/ DOTATATE. In fact I now know that the first patient in the world to be scanned was a Pancreatic NET and you can watch a great video of this even below. What is…
MP0712 (212Pb x DLL3), Radio-DARPin – DLL3 Radioligand Therapy Trial for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
What is Radioligand Therapy? When you browse the internet, you may see the term "Radioligand Therapy (RLT)" and wondered what it is. There's a simple explanation to what it is; and why you may be seeing more of it. Firstly, you will all be aware of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT), right? Well that is just a type of RLT where the target is somatostatin receptors (SSTR). RLTs can have different targets. You may be seeing the term Radioligand Therapy more because this technology is starting to be used on other cancers but almost always different target routes. The obvious…
Immunotherapy and Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
Updated 24th September 2025. Introduction There's a lot of Immunotherapy stuff out there! The picture regarding its use in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms is not clear and there is no general roadmap printed. I first heard of Immunotherapy for NETs following attendance at ENETS 2017 in Barcelona. The presentation that sticks out was one given by Dr Matthew Kulke, a well-known NET Specialist in Boston. My reaction to the presentation was one of 'expectation management' and caution i.e. it's too soon to know if we will get any success and when we will get it. He also hinted that it's more likely…
![NETTER-3 – Clinical Trial: [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE in Patients With Grade 1 and Grade 2 Advanced GEP-NET](https://i0.wp.com/ronnyallan.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/netter-3-2.jpg?resize=400%2C280&ssl=1)
NETTER-3 – Clinical Trial: [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE in Patients With Grade 1 and Grade 2 Advanced GEP-NET
Why is this trial important? The output of NETTER-2, suggested Lutathera for GEP-Grade 2 and 3 NETs could be used as a first line treatment. In some areas this appeared to be controversial. The data from NETTER-1, which was focused on Grade 1 and 2 (less than ki67 of 10%), did not conclude the same, different aim. However, this appears to be the main aim of NETTER-3, to look at the data in the same way as NETTER-2 but for Grade 1 and 2 with similar criteria used on NETTER-1. You might say NETTER-3 is a follow on from NETTER-1 but…
Ronny Allan’s Glossary of Terms (Basic Edition)
Welcome to my Neuroendocrine Cancer terms and definitions list providing a source of meanings for acronyms and medical terms, all sourced from top cancer/Neuroendocrine Cancer sites. This version is a simple combination of an intelligent search (e.g. type first character to filter etc) plus a simple long list of all the terms in my repository. But each has a link which will direct you to the definition of the term plus where applicable, links to any of my articles where I have tagged this term (therefore providing added context).Please note I’m constantly working on the repository to clean up all definitions, adding…
A Trial to Assess Efficacy and Safety of Octreotide Subcutaneous Depot (CAM2029) in Patients With GEP-NET (SORENTO)
Oczyesa for treatment of acromegaly is approved for use in the EU and UKLund, Sweden — 28 August 2025 — Camurus (NASDAQ STO: CAMX) today announced that the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Oczyesa®, octreotide subcutaneous depot, marketing authorization for the maintenance treatment in adult patients with acromegaly who have responded to and tolerated treatment with somatostatin analogs.1”Oczyesa, the first once-monthly subcutaneous octreotide treatment, has shown effective and sustained control of acromegaly and can be self-administered by patients using an autoinjector pen”, says Fredrik Tiberg, President & CEO, CSO at Camurus. ”Camurus plans to launch the treatment…
DLL3 Expression in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms – an overview
Updated 20th August 2025 - Background - Conventional therapeutic targets for neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) include somatostatin receptors (SSTRs), mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), and tyrosine kinases. These pathways are crucial for tumour growth, survival, and angiogenesis. The most well known is SSTRs given that most NETs express these and allows targeted therapies such as somatostatin analogues (SSA) and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) to be used. Other targeted therapies like everolimus and sunitinib, which inhibit mTOR and tyrosine kinases respectively. Sunitinib also targets VEGF as does cabozantinib. For neuroendocrine carcinomas (Grade 3 poorly differentiated), targeting…
A Diagnostic Imaging Study of 64Cu-SARTATE™ for Neuroendocrine Tumours
UPDATE 23rd December 2025. (Originally published Apr 2021). Phase 3 trial to commence soon (clinical trials reference detail to follow) Sydney, Australia 22 December 2025 Clarity Pharmaceuticals (ASX: CU6) (“Clarity” or “Company”), a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company with a mission to develop next-generation products that improve treatment outcomes for patients with cancer, is pleased to announce it will be commencing a pivotal Phase III registrational trial of its 64Cu-SARTATE diagnostic agent in patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). This follows a successful End of Phase meeting with the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in which all key components of the proposed…
Catch up on Ronny Allan’s Blog
You guys lead busy lives but the aim of this article is to help you catch up. Below are the most read posts in the last 7 days. Click on anything that takes your fancy. Many thanks. To read any article, just click on the title/picture below Latest from Instagram https://www.instagram.com/neuroendocrine.cancer.ronny/ Select of category of posts you'd like to see Disclaimer I am not a doctor or any form of medical professional, practitioner or counsellor. None of the information on my website, or linked to my website(s), or conveyed by me on any social media or presentation, should be interpreted as…
Histotripsy – the case for use in UK as Histosonics was awarded early market access
Hot off the press - 10 Mar 2026 Wellington Hospital London is now the first independent hospital in Europe to offer Histotripsy. Clearly treatment at this hospital will need to be funded by the individual or covered by a private healthcare insurance policy.Click here to read more. Hot off the press - 22 Oct 2025 Cambridge treats first NHS cancer patient A Cambridge patient has become the first person in Europe to receive cutting-edge histotripsy treatment outside of a clinical trial, after the technology was fast-tracked by the Government - marking a major milestone in NHS cancer care. Addenbrooke’s is…
The NETest® – can it replace Chromogranin A and more?
See Summary below for a quick updateUpdate 8th Dec 2025. New York State Department of Health Grants Approval of Wren Laboratories’ NETest® 2.0 for Clinical Use Clinically Validated Performance In validation across 3,042 NET patients and 1,084 controls/other cancers, NETest 2.0 demonstrated: Sensitivity: 93% Specificity: 85% Positive predictive value: 95% Negative predictive value: 82% Overall accuracy: 91% These results support broad clinical utility, including: Accurate detection across all NET grades and stages Identification of minimal residual disease, recurrence, and progression Monitoring and prediction of therapeutic response, including 177Lu-PRRT Prognostic value for progression-free and overall survival Detection of neuroendocrine differentiation in select epithelial tumors Click…
Lanreotide and Keytruda – the PLANET study (NCT03043664)
Update 13th February 2025. In my main coverage of Immunotherapy for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs), you will see a section where one NET specialists described Neuroendocrine Tumours as an “immunological desert”. What was meant by is that there’s little evidence immunotherapy is effective in the majority of Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs). The output from this trial continues to back that view. It is important to note the nomenclature of NETs rather than NENs as almost all the immunotherapy drug approvals to date have been for Neuroendocrine Carcinomas (NECs). As the trial abstract conclusion said, "We conclude that immune checkpoint blockade had low…
Phase 3 Clinical Trial of PRRT ITM11 177Lu-Edotreotide – COMPETE for GEPNETs
Update - 13th November 2025. ITM Announces FDA Acceptance of New Drug Application (NDA) and PDUFA Date for n.c.a. ¹⁷⁷Lu-edotreotide (ITM-11) in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (GEP-NETs)Garching / Munich, Germany, November 13, 2025 - ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed its filing review and accepted the company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for n.c.a. 177Lu-edotreotide (also known as ITM-11 or 177Lu-edotreotide). 177Lu-edotreotide is ITM’s proprietary, synthetic, targeted radiotherapeutic investigational agent for the treatment of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date…
Ronny Allan – Every picture tells a story
I always try to use graphics for a number of pictures, I admit mainly to catch people's attention but also because sometimes a picture on its own tells a story or at least provides a great introduction to one. If the picture catches your eye, clicking on will take you to the text. This post will auto update as new blogs are published. thanks for reading and sharing! Scroll, point, click, read, share! Disclaimer I am not a doctor or any form of medical professional, practitioner or counsellor. None of the information on my website, or linked to my website(s),…
Temozolomide and Survivin Long Peptide Vaccine (SurVaxM) for the Treatment of Patients With Progressing Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
What are cancer vaccines?I remember seeing a comment by a NET Specialist on twitter saying, "We need vaccines". This was in response to a tweet from another NET Specialist reporting dismal data from an immunotherapy drug for Neuroendocrine Carcinomas. In 2020/2021, the word vaccine has been used a lot, but this specialist was not inferring anti-viral treatment, he was talking about "cancer vaccines", an emerging discipline in science where vaccines act as an immunostimulant to treat cancer. This prompted me to look around and found this trial which may be of interest to you. However, before anyone gets too excited,…
Update – Oncolytic Virus Trials for Neuroendocrine Cancer
Updated 28th May 2025 What exactly are Oncolytic Viruses? Oncolytic Viruses infect and break down cancer cells but not normal cells. Oncolytic viruses can occur naturally or can be made in the laboratory by changing other viruses. Certain oncolytic viruses are being studied in the treatment of cancer. Some scientists say they are another type of immunotherapy whilst others say it's too early to classify them as such. The good news is that Neuroendocrine Cancer seems to figure in this work with two of these viruses apparently working on mice to date. Listed below are two active projects involving NETs,…
Targeted Alpha-emitter Therapy (TAT) – the wave of the future in nuclear oncology/PRRT?
What is Targeted Alpha-emitter Therapy? Regular PRRT which is authorised for use now, i.e. Lutathera/Lu177 is a beta therapy. Targeted Alpha Therapy is based on the coupling of alpha particle emitting radioisotopes to tumour selective carrier molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies or peptides. These molecules have the ability to selectively target tumour cells even if they are spread throughout the body. They recognize the targeted cancer cells through antigens that are expressed on the cell surface and can bind selectively to these cells, similar a key fitting into a lock. In targeted alpha therapy these carrier molecules serve as vehicles…
Cessation of Somatostatin Analogues After PRRT in Mid, Hind-Gut and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours (STOPNET)
One of the common question areas I see in my patient group of 10,000+ members is about the use of somatostatin analogues (SSAs) prior to, during and after treatment with Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT). On a similar subject, I also see people asking about stopping SSAs long term regardless of PRRT, particularly if they are NED and stable. People also ask about individual patients who have decided to stop them and how they managed etc. Clearly these are difficult discussions and anyone reading should be listening to their doctors, not mimicking what they read on patient groups. But they are…
CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib) for pNET and epNET
18th October 2025. Exelixis Announces Results from Subgroup Analysis of CABINET Phase 3 Pivotal Trial Evaluating CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib) in Advanced Lung and Thymic Neuroendocrine Tumors at ESMO 2025 | Exelixis, Inc. – CABOMETYX reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 81% versus placebo in patients with advanced lung or thymic neuroendocrine tumors (NET) – – The lungs are the second most common NET site of origin, yet limited treatment options are available Read announcement from Exelixis here. 23rd September 2025. UK MHRA grants marketing authorization Ipsen (Euronext: IPN) announced today that UK MHRA has granted marketing authorization for cabozantinib…
Electronic Autoinjector for Somatuline® Autogel® / Somatuline® Depot (lanreotide)
Update 4th September 2024. I have been informed by a third party and trusted source that this upgrade to Lanreotide Ipsen injection device which I published in 2022, will not happen. Apparently, the project announced in 2022 never really got off the ground. My own guess is that Ipsen's business case expenditure was too much risk given the rise of the generic Lanreotide meds around the same time, i.e. the return of investment (ROI) would not be recouped.I do not understand why Ipsen did not offer a lower price to remain competitive in UK and elsewhere. It makes me think that…
CAR-T clinical trials for Neuroendocrine Cancer (plus bonus section on CAR-NK)
Update 29th August 2025 Progress Seen in CDH17 CAR T Trial. Chimeric Therapeutics has reported that a neuroendocrine cancer patient in the Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR T cell therapy has experienced tumour shrinkage. In an update for investors on October 8, Chimeric reported 8 patients have been treated so far, with two more waiting for treatment. Two of the 8 have intestinal NETs. Read more here. Update 4th June 2025 CAR T-Cell Therapy for Neuroendocrine Cancer, Now in Clinical Trial, Receives FDA FAST TRACK Designation. Read more here. Update 17th October 2024 First patient dosed. Read more here.…
Clinical Trial: 177Lu-DOTATATE Modified Delivery Based on Individualized Dosimetry (LUMOD-ID)
What is the LUMOD-ID trial? This is a randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating the impact of forward planning dosimetry for Lutetium-177 DOTATATE (Lutathera, Novartis Pharmaceuticals), a radiopharmaceutical approved to treat neuroendocrine tumors by the U.S. FDA. The primary outcome measure is to determine objective response rate in patients with grade 1 or 2 gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET) treated with dosimetrically-determined LUTATHERA administration compared to active control. This is done at 6 months after treatment completion along with a secondary outcome correlation of hematologic toxicities every 6 months for 5 years. The remaining secondary outcome measures are after 5 years to…
Neuroendocrine Cancer: Glossary of Terms
Welcome to my Neuroendocrine Cancer terms and definitions list providing a source of meanings for acronyms and medical terms, all sourced from top Neuroendocrine Cancer sites. How to use this list: 1. If your term begins with an A, see the list of As etc. Ditto for B to Z. Select your term from the list, the definition will show along with any of my blogs where that term is mentioned – this adds context. . 2. Numerical terms are also listed. Please note I’m constantly working on the repository to clean up all definitions, adding and removing links where necessary, and…
Clinical Trial: Triapine and Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate for Neuroendocrine Tumors
Clinical Trial: Triapine and Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate for Neuroendocrine TumorsUpdated 31st July 2024 to add Phase 1 results and info regarding Phase 2. Clinical Trial: Triapine and Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate for Neuroendocrine Tumors - What is PRRT?I'm guessing most of my readers know what Peptide Receptor Radiotherapy (PRRT) is. But for those new to this field, read more hereWhat is Triapine?Triapine is a ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) inhibitor, I.e. it helps repair DNA. When I research this drug, I can see it is used in numerous examples of clinical trials in an anti-cancer setting alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy, in many cancers.Triapine in…
Lanreotide for Lung NETs – SPINET Clinical Trial
Reviewed and updated 30th July 2024. Phase III trial data update. Update 30th July 2024. This trial had a low particpation repsonse. Experts cited the main reason was the increasing use of SSAs for Typical and Atypical Lung NETs in clinical practice; as such, patients were reluctant to enroll in this study, with the risk of receiving a placebo, when they could access the active treatment with a prescription. The above is unfortunate but perhaps the wording of some approvals caused confusion about scope. Together with pragmatic compassionate use in cliniclal practice this has perhaps had an adverse affect in…
Phase 3 CABINET Clinical Trial – Cabozantinib (Cabometyx) for Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumours
Please note this drug was approved and is now covered in a new blog - click here Clinical Trial history retained below for reference purposes BREAKING NEWS - 6th August 2024 Exelixis Announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Accepted the Supplemental New Drug Application for Cabozantinib for Patients with Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors. Exelixis Announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Accepted the Supplemental New Drug Application for Cabozantinib for Patients with Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors – The FDA assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date of April 3, 2025 – – Application is based on results from…
NHS England’s new Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad
Update August 2025. Patients in England with advanced head and neck cancer are being fast-tracked into a ground-breaking mRNA cancer vaccine trial, as the NHS expands its Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) to accelerate access to cutting-edge treatments. Update April 2025. Melanoma patients in England get fast-track access to cancer vaccineUpdate March 2025. The UK government announced their intention to abolish NHS England and bring it back under the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) (i.e. a merger). The change programme will take up to 2 years. In the meantime, the blog will be updated with new nomenclature when further information is…
A First-in-Human Phase I Trial With Antibody Drug Conjugate ADCT-701 in Neuroendocrine Tumors and Carcinomas
What is the objective of this trial? To test a new drug, ADCT-701 (an Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)), in people with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs). The eligibility extends to al adults aged 18 and older with NENs. It is listed in the NIH database under clinical trial identify number NCT06041516 (Reference 1 below). What are Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)? Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are innovative biopharmaceutical products in which a monoclonal antibody is linked to a small molecule drug with a stable linker. Most of the ADCs developed so far are for treating cancer, but there is enormous potential for using ADCs to treat other…
“An odd disposition of tumours” – less common metastases in Small Intestine and Pancreatic NETs
Every day is a learning day in NET! When I was diagnosed in 2010, my Oncologist sent me for a specialist scan that would help confirm my staging definition and to document anything that might not have shown up on CT. This was described as an Octreotide Scan (somatostatin receptor scintigraphy) (now mostly replaced by Somatostatin Receptor PET (SSTR PET) e.g. Ga68/Cu64). Lo and behold, the 3 day Octreotide scan lit up some odd places which seemed to be unconnected to my small intestine primary. I was already stage IV due to the presence of liver metastases and this was…
FEB 2026 – TRIAL DISCONTINUED Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of 212Pb-DOTAMTATE (alpha-emitter) in Subjects With Somatostatin Receptor Positive Neuroendocrine Tumours
A Phase 2 Open Label Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of 212Pb-DOTAMTATE (alpha-emitter) in Subjects With Somatostatin Receptor Positive Neuroendocrine Tumours Update 4th February 2026. The company quietly discontinues AlphaMedix. Read more Trial Discontinued Update 2nd November 2025 - NANETS output. Efficacy, Safety of 212Pb-DOTAMTATE in PRRT-Naive Patients With GEP-NETs This is a follow on from the 8th October 2025 update below. Commentary by Dr Mary Maluccio from NOLA NETs. The figures looks great and you can read it or listen to her talking. Click here for that. The phase 3 trials will be PRRT niave patients ony…
Do we need a new model for Carcinoid Crisis in NETs?
Update February 2026. Before you read this, please note: Why Practice Is Changing Faster Than the Guidelines Modern peri‑operative management for neuroendocrine tumours is evolving rapidly, and several factors explain why clinical practice in some expert centres has moved ahead of formal guidelines: 1. New evidence challenges long‑held assumptions Recent surgical series — most prominently from OHSU Portland USA — show that prophylactic octreotide does not reliably prevent carcinoid crisis and that crises behave more like distributive shock, responding better to vasopressors than to somatostatin analogues. This directly contradicts decades of dogma. 2. Guidelines update slowly by design Bodies such…
Clinical Trial – Lutathera NETTER-2 Important Update
UPDATE - June 5th 2024. [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE plus long-acting octreotide versus high‑dose long-acting octreotide for the treatment of newly diagnosed, advanced grade 2–3, well-differentiated, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (NETTER-2): an open-label, randomised, phase 3 study Summary There are currently no standard first-line treatment options for patients with higher grade 2–3, well-differentiated, advanced, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of first-line [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE (177Lu-Dotatate) treatment.MethodsNETTER-2 was an open-label, randomised, parallel-group, superiority, phase 3 trial. We enrolled patients (aged ≥15 years) with newly diagnosed higher grade 2 (Ki67 ≥10% and ≤20%) and grade 3 (Ki67 >20% and ≤55%), somatostatin receptor-positive…
Randomized Phase II Trial of Postoperative Adjuvant Capecitabine and Temozolomide Versus Observation in High-Risk Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (SWOG S2104)
What is SWOG S2104? A Randomized Phase II Trial of Postoperative Adjuvant Capecitabine and Temozolomide Versus Observation in High-Risk Pancreatic Neuroendocrine TumorsPancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETS) account for about 1-2% of all the pancreas tumors for which resection is the only curative intent modality, however, despite surgery, many patients will experience recurrence. Tumor size, positive lymph nodes and higher grade are prognostic factors for recurrence. The U.S. Neuroendocrine Tumor Study Group published a predictive score (Zaidi score but also see inclusion criteria) demonstrating that tumors with a score ≥6 had a 33% likelihood of recurrence by 24 months. Furthermore, it is…
Clinical Trial of Paltusotine, an oral somatostatin analogue for the Treatment of Carcinoid Syndrome
Update 20th November 2025 Crinetics Announces First Patient Randomized in Pivotal Phase 3 CAREFNDR Trial Evaluating Paltusotine in Carcinoid Syndrome Read the news - click here Clinical Trial Document - click here Limited to US (22 locations), Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil (so far). Update 25th September 2025 - Crinetics Crinetics Announces FDA Approval of PALSONIFY™ (paltusotine) for the Treatment of Acromegaly in Adults - September 25, 2025 Read more - click here. Learn more about PALSONIFY BY clicking here. Note: Approval of somatostatin analogues for acromegaly normally precedes approval for NET. UPDATE 14th March 2024 Results from Paltusotine Carcinoid Syndrome…
Midgut neuroendocrine tumor patients have a depleted gut microbiome with a discriminative signature
What is the gut microbiome? According to Cleveland Clinic, your gut microbiome is a microscopic world within the world of your larger body. The trillions of microorganisms that live there affect each other and their environment in various ways. They also appear to influence many aspects of your overall health, both within your digestive system and outside of it. If you read their summary here, you can understand some of the implications of this study. However, as the study concluded, midgut NET patients have an altered gut microbiome which could suggest a role in NET development and provide novel targets…
Novel Therapeutic Target for Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumours Uncovered
A culture of miniature neuroendocrine tumors. [Talya Dayton, copyright: Hubrecht Institute.] I'll flesh this out in due course, but this is something I'd like to track. Pulmonary NETs don't have as many treatments as Gastroenteropancreatic NETs (GEP NETs). Thanks for reading. Druggable growth dependencies and tumor evolution analysis in patient-derived organoids of neuroendocrine neoplasms from multiple body sites Talya L. Dayton Nicolas Alcala Laura Moonen Matthieu Foll Lynnette Fernández-Cuesta Hans Clevers Show all authors Show footnotes Open AccessDOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2023.11.007Quick summary - click here Disclaimer I am not a doctor or any form of medical professional, practitioner or counsellor. None of…
Somatostatin Receptor Positive Advanced Bronchial Neuroendocrine Tumors – PRRT vs Everolimus
US Trial I was delighted to see this clinical trial which looks at the efficacy of PRRT (Lu177 dotatate) vs the efficacy of Everolimus (Afinitor). The latter is approved for the treatment of adult patients with progressive, well-differentiated non-functional, neuroendocrine tumors (NET) of gastrointestinal (GI) or lung origin with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic disease (US FDA wording, Europe is similar). What is this trial? This phase II trial studies the effect of lutetium Lu 177 dotatate compared to the usual treatment (everolimus) in treating patients with somatostatin receptor positive bronchial neuroendocrine tumors that have spread to other places in…
Meet Edison® Histotripsy System – powerful bubbles
Please read this before asking questions Histotripsy is a new treatment, but it's an ablative technique rather than a drug. It can be equated to liver embolization or conventional tumour ablation but uses what would appear to be a more effective targeted therapy. It's early days, the fact that it has been approved by FDA (see wording below) is about all we know but this blog will be kept live. I get asked a lot of questions but some of the detail NET patients tend to ask is simply not available to me. 1. Where can I get this treatment? …
Neuroendocrine Cancer Clinical Trial – Lutetium-177Lu (Satoreotide)
What is Satoreotide? It's an agonist treatment. i.e. a 'next generation' radioligand for Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) or more specifically the radiopharmaceutical that binds to both activated and inactivated somatostatin receptors which are upregulated on these tumours. There is far higher binding via this mechanism than standard octreotate. The technical name of the radiopharmaceutical is Satoreotide tetraxetan lutetium-177 (author's note, I'm guessing but it could be a variant of Lanreotide). Somatostatin type 2 (SST2) receptor is overexpressed in many around 80% of NETs, some NEC and in certain hard-to-treat cancers such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and neuroblastoma,…
First and only FDA-cleared, fully automated chromogranin A assay
There has been controversy about the utility of Chromogranin A for many years now. Specialists have been critical about its use but to be fair even those less critical still confirm that alone it would not be trusted to formally diagnose Neuroendocrine Cancer. That said, it was still controversial when certain US guidelines were updated to recommend it is not regularly tested. It's well known for being a sensitive but non-specific marker for most tumours of Neuroendocrine type, the non-specificity is mostly due to the other conditions, some of which are highly prevalent in many countries, including but not limited to…
Lung cancer diagnosed early because of new tool
I'm a believer in science overtaking mortality figures and there is evidence of that already happening when you read the latest survival figures. But too many are still succumbing to this killer disease. I also believe that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to help. Even with cancers of the lung, where known causes are heavily linked to death rates, are decreasing but that is mainly due to preventative measures such as stopping smoking. However, not all cancers of the lung are caused by smoking. Most low-grade Lung NETs is a good example, there are others. I've had a flurry…
The Cancer Legacy of Steve Jobs?
Update February 2026. Today, Yosemite said that it had raised more than $200 million for a second fund that has a total targeted size of $350 million, with heavy-hitter investors that include biotech giant Amgen, Memorial Sloan Kettering, MIT and venture capitalist John Doerr. Powell Jobs (Steve's wife) invested in the fund through Emerson; as a general partner, Jobs is also personally invested. Read more click here. Original story Just about everyone knows who Steve Jobs is but not many people have heard of Reed Jobs. Clearly a relative and is actually his son. Now aged 31, he wants to get…
Phase 1 Clinical Trial AOH1996 for the Treatment of Refractory Solid Tumors
The City of Hope-developed small molecule AOH1996 targets a cancerous variant of the protein PCNA. In its mutated form, PCNA is critical in DNA replication and repair of all expanding tumors. Here we see untreated cancer cells (left) and cancer cells treated with AOH1996 (right) undergoing programmed cell death (violet). (Photo credit: City of Hope) This particular clinical trial for solid tumours has been widely reported in the news this week (July/august 2023). It is touted as a "cancer-killing pill" has appeared to "annihilate" solid tumours in early research - leaving healthy cells unaffected. Whether these are the words of…
A tumour-finding probe improves the ‘effectiveness of surgery in Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours
A major challenge that cancer surgeons face currently is that there are no reliable methods to identify the tissue type during surgery (other than fast tracking tissue sampling). The surgical procedures, therefore, rely extensively on the experience and judgment of the surgeon to decide on how much tissue to remove around the tumor margins. Sometimes this can result in the removal of excessive healthy tissue. On the other hand, not removing some tumour cells can often need a follow-up surgery to remove residual cancer tissue. This just adds to patient morbidity and long-term detrimental effects on the patient’s outcome. The use…
Clinical Trial: Phase 1/2a Study of 23ME-00610 in Patients With Advanced Solid Malignancies (incl Neuroendocrine Neoplasms)
Updated 13th November 2024Glad you found this interesting blog. However, I must warn you that it is in jeopardy due to the following announcement intercepted by my google agents. Read more by clicking here.I will monitor this for further information and update as necessary. Who are 23andMe?I personally had not heard of 23andMe but many people in North America might have. When you first look at what they do, you can be excused for thinking they are just another 'Ancestry' company, but they are more than that. They also get involved in genetics and health. To quote their marketing "we’re all of…
Clinical Trial: Novel Somatostatin Receptor Subtype 2 Antagonist Labelled With Terbium-161 (161Tb-DOTA-LM3)
Update 14th December 2025 - Results from the Phase 0 proof of concept trial. Conclusion [161Tb]Tb-DOTA-LM3 shows a 7.6-fold-higher tumor absorbed dose than that found when using [177Lu]Lu-DOTATOC. The tumor–to–bone marrow absorbed dose ratio was in the same range for both radiopharmaceuticals. The promising dosimetry and safety results from this phase 0 study will lay the foundation for further clinical development of [161Tb]Tb-DOTA-LM3. Dose-escalation trials and peptide dose optimizing studies are warranted to establish the maximum tolerated activity per cycle and assess long-term efficacy. The integration of 161Tb into PRRT regimens has the potential to redefine the therapeutic landscape for NETs,…
Nuclidium wins award to study NET radiopharmaceutical – Phase 1 Clinical Trial of TraceNET (TM)
What is TraceNETTM TraceNETTM is a a novel copper-based 'radiodiagnostic' for detecting neuroendocrine tumours (NET). The PET imaging agent candidate is the diagnostic component of NUCLIDIUM’s theranostic program, which comprises a true theranostic pair for diagnosing and treating NET patients, leveraging the company’s unique copper-based approach. The Phase 1 program for the diagnostic is the first step in its clinical development and is planned to commence in the first half of 2023. Nuclidium’s TraceNETTM program aims to overcome key limitations of existing radiodiagnostics and their corresponding therapeutics by increasing the sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of NET imaging, including detecting metastases, while…