Active Surveillance May Benefit Certain Patients With Small Nonfunctional Pancreatic NETs
Abstract. Results from a retrospective review demonstrated significant increases in the use of observation in patients with small nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-pNETs) from 2015 to 2020, as published in JAMA Surgery. Researchers also found that patients seen at academic centers were more likely to undergo observation compared with those seen at nonacademic centers.Currently, experts are uncertain of the metastatic potential of NF-pNETs, and the potential morbidity linked with pancreatic surgery, as noted in the study. This may be associated with patients opting for surgery vs active surveillance, although recent guidelines endorse the use of active surveillance backed by retrospective data.The…
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…
The Syndromes of Neuroendocrine Cancer – Early Signs of a Late Diagnosis
Updated 14th June 2024 The Syndromes of Neuroendocrine Cancer - Early Signs of a Late Diagnosis There are some curious things about Neuroendocrine Cancer (NETs elsewhere in the text on the basis that a hormonal syndrome is extremely rare in Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NEC)). One of them is that it can very often exhibit one or more vague symptoms collectively known as a 'syndrome'. Syndrome is an apt word to describe these complications as the most general meaning in medical terms is a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder or disease". Having a syndrome can often…
European Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (ENETS) 2023 guidance paper for nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours
There is very much a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) approach to treating Neuroendocrine Tumours (NET) in Europe and many other places. In Europe and the extra-Europe CoEs in Australia, Israel and the USA, this is centred on the establishment of the Centre of Excellence programme that has been running since 2009. But underneath that are some excellent MDTs not yet accredited who may still utilise ENETs guidelines to treat and manage their patients. This 2023 guideline paper sets the scene for an important and complex group of tumours - pancreatic NETs. It's well known and accepted that the majority of pancreatic…
Neuroendocrine Cancer – Exciting Times Ahead!
In the last 12-24 months, there seems to have been announcement after announcement of new and/or upgraded/enhanced diagnostics and treatment types for Neuroendocrine Cancer. Scans, radionuclide therapies, combination therapies, somatostatin analogues, biological therapies, etc. Some of the announcements are just expansions of existing therapies having been approved in new (but significant) regions. Compared to some other cancers, even those which hit the headlines often, we appear to be doing not too badly. However, the pressure needs to stay on, all patients need access to the best diagnostics and treatments for them; and at the requisite time. There's even more in the pipeline and I'm hoping…