You want to know Common treatment options for neuroendocrine tumor?

 

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) develop in cells that interact with the neurological system or hormone-producing glands. Neuroendocrine cells can be found all over the body, but NETs are most commonly located in the abdomen, particularly in the gastrointestinal system. Tumors in the lungs, pancreas, and adrenal glands are also possible. Merkel cell carcinoma is a kind of skin cancer that is also classified as a neuroendocrine cancer.

 

Carcinoid tumours and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours are the two most common types of neuroendocrine tumours. Carcinoid tumours arise in the gastrointestinal tract, the lung, and the thymus, whereas pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours arise in the pancreas or peripancreatic area. The neuroendocrine tumors treatment for patients with localized neuroendocrine tumors primarily is surgical.

 

Diagnosis

The tests and techniques used to diagnose a neuroendocrine tumour are determined by the location of the tumour in your body. In general, testing may involve the following;

• Physical exam: Your doctor may do a physical examination on you in order to better understand your signs and symptoms. He or she could check for enlarged lymph nodes or symptoms that a tumour is generating too many hormones.

   

• Tests to look for excess hormones: Your doctor may suggest that you get your blood or urine tested for evidence of excess hormones generated by neuroendocrine tumours.

   

• Imaging tests: Imaging tests, including as ultrasound, CT, and MRI, may be used to produce images of your tumour. For neuroendocrine tumours, positron emission tomography (PET) with a radioactive tracer injected into a vein is occasionally used to produce images.

   

• Procedures to remove a sample of cells for testing (biopsy): Depending on your circumstances, the doctor may put a long, thin tube with a light and a camera into your lungs (bronchoscopy), oesophagus (endoscopy), or rectum (colonoscopy) to collect the cells. Obtaining a tissue sample can sometimes necessitate surgery.

 

Treatment

Treatment for NETs varies widely, depending on the disease's kind and stage. Neuroendocrine tumours are commonly treated with the following methods:

 

• Surgery

  For individuals with localised NETs, surgery to remove the main tumour is frequently the first-line therapy.

   

• Medical oncology

  Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and/or targeted therapy may be options depending on the kind of NET and treatment goals.

   

• Radiation therapy
  When a neuroendocrine tumour has spread or is in a place that makes surgery problematic, radiation treatment is usually performed.

   

• Gastroenterology

  A gastroenterologist may be required to clear blockages in the GI system and alleviate discomfort or breathing difficulties.

 

Surgical debulking, hepatic embolization, somatostatin analogues, and interferon- are all traditional therapies for individuals with advanced neuroendocrine tumours. Treatment with the alkylating drugs streptozocin or temozolomide may also be beneficial for patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.