Investigational drugs for neuroendocrine tumours

Abstract

Background: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are usually slow-growing neoplasms, which arise in the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine pancreas, lungs or thymus. The majority are malignant. The treatment of patients with metastatic disease consists of biotherapy with alpha-interferon and somatostatin analogues, various chemotherapy combinations or liver embolization. Objective: To review and discuss new treatments for patients with metastatic NETs. Method: Review of the published literature during the last 5 years on treatment of patients with NETs. Results/conclusion: Several new drugs with various mechanisms of action including cytotoxic drugs, tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors and antiangiogenic drugs as well as radiolabelled substances have been introduced during recent years. Many of these compounds have shown promising results in patients with NETs.

Keywords::

• angiogenesis inhibitors
• chemotherapy
• mTOR inhibitors
• neuroendocrine tumours
• radioembolization
• targeted receptor therapy
• tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors