title: Biotherapies for GEP-NETs.
abstract: Biological treatment for GI neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) includes treatment with somatostatin analogues and alpha interferons. Both of these therapies were developed in the early 1980's and initially for treatment of a carcinoid syndrome in patients with small intestinal NETs. Later on tumour biology studies indicated that well differentiated NETs (G1-tumours) benefit from treatment with somatostatin analogues and alpha interferons. Both agents give symptomatic improvement in patients with functioning tumours in 40-60% of the patients, biochemical responses in 50-70% of the patients and significant tumour shrinkage in 5-10% of the patients. Combination therapy with somatostatin analogues and alpha interferon has demonstrated some clinical benefit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Somatostatin analogues and alpha interferons are still playing an important role and considered to be first-line treatment in functioning and in non-functioning well-differentiated NETs, (G1-tumours) and somatostatin analogues might also be applied to control clinical symptoms in G2-tumours with higher proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Endocrine Oncology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. kjell.oberg@medsci.uu.se
authors.forename: Kjell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Öberg
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; D013004:Somatostatin