A review of the current clinical trials for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.
Neuroendocrine tumours of the gastroenteropancreatic axis include carcinoid tumours and islet cell tumours of the pancreas (pancreatic endocrine tumours). Standard medical therapies prescribed for these malignancies include long-acting somatostatin analogues (octreotide and lanreotide) for the palliation of hormonal syndromes; cytotoxic agents (streptozocin, dacarbazine, adriamycin and 5-fluorouracil), which are primarily for the management of advanced islet cell tumours; and hepatic artery embolisation or chemoembolisation for the treatment of liver metastases. Clinical research promises to expand this therapeutic armamentarium. Most of the experimental treatments that are being evaluated in human clinical trials fall into the following categories: angiogenesis inhibitors, novel somatostatin analogues, radiolabelled somatostatin analogues, mTOR inhibitors and novel cytotoxic agents. This review summarises the present scope of clinical research in this field.
Strosberg
Jonathan R
JR
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. strosbjr@moffitt.usf.edu
Kvols
Larry K
LK
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000639:trends*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents