Unmet Medical Needs in Pulmonary Neuroendocrine (Carcinoid) Neoplasms

Pulmonary carcinoids (PCs) display the common features of all well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) and are classified as low- and intermediate-grade malignant tumours (i.e., typical and atypical carcinoid, respectively). There is a paucity of randomised studies dedicated to advanced PCs and management principles are drawn from the larger gastroenteropancreatic NEN experience. There is growing evidence that NEN anatomic subgroups have different biology and different responses to treatment and, therefore, should be investigated as separate entities in clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the existing evidence and limitations of tumour classification, diagnostics and staging, prognostication, and treatment in the setting of PC, with focus on unmet medical needs and directions for the future.

ENETS Consensus Guidelines for the Standards of Care in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms. Systemic Therapy 2: Chemotherapy

Systemic chemotherapy is indicated in progressive or bulky advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and in grade 3 (G3) neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) as per ENETS guidelines. Chemotherapy may be considered in NETs of other sites (lung, thymus, stomach, colon, and rectum) under certain conditions (e.g., when Ki-67 is at a high level [upper G2 range], in rapidly progressive disease and/or after failure of other therapies, or if somatostatin receptor imaging is negative). An ENETS Consensus Conference was held in Antibes (2015) to elaborate guidelines on the standards of care of different diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions in NENs. This article provides guidance on chemotherapy including therapeutic indications, dosing schedules, adverse events (including prevention and management), drug interactions, and evaluation of treatment effect for the chemotherapy agents most commonly used in NENs (streptozocin, dacarbazine, fluoropyrimidines, platinum compounds, etoposide, and irinotecan).

ENETS Consensus Guidelines for the Standards of Care in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Systemic Therapy - Biotherapy and Novel Targeted Agents

Systemic therapies established in the management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) include somatostatin analogs and interferon-α, also referred to as biotherapy. Recent randomized controlled studies have extended the knowledge on the frequency of side effects associated with biotherapy. More recently, novel targeted drugs, such as the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor everolimus and the multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib, have been introduced in the management of NETs. Although targeted drugs are generally well tolerated, with most adverse events being of mild to moderate severity and manageable, novel targeted drugs exhibit a distinct adverse event profile that warrants guidance for appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic management. This is particularly important given the widespread and potentially long-term use of everolimus in a broad spectrum of NETs and of sunitinib in pancreatic NETs. This review will focus on the most relevant toxicities associated with biotherapy and novel targeted drugs and on their management. For each drug class indication, administration and dosing schedule, most frequent adverse events, actions and dose adjustments for adverse events as well as their monitoring are presented. This review further covers the evaluation of treatment effect, patient information, drug interactions, and information on pregnancy.

ENETS Consensus Recommendations for the Standards of Care in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Follow-Up and Documentation

ENETS consensus recommendations for the standards of care in neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) concerning follow-up and documentation are considered in this review. The documentation of patients with NEN should include the most relevant data characterizing an individual patient from the first contact with his/her physician/hospital until his/her last presentation during follow-up. It is advocated that follow-up occurs in specialized NEN centers with regular NEN tumor boards with expert panels. The follow-up should be in accordance with the ENETS consensus guidelines from 2011 and 2016, the present and coming WHO classification and ENETS/UICC recommendations for TNM staging. The recommendations for follow-up in patients with thymic, bronchopulmonary and gastroenteropancreatic NEN are given in Table 1. However, it should be stressed that evidence-based studies for follow-up are largely missing.