title: Somatostatin analogs therapy in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: current aspects and new perspectives.
abstract: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are rare tumors that present many clinical features secreting peptides and neuroamines that cause distinct clinical syndromes such as carcinoid syndrome. However most of them are clinically silent until late presentation with mass effects. Surgical resection is the first line treatment for a patient with a GEP-NET while in metastatic disease multiple therapeutic approaches are possible. GEP-NETs are able to express somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) bounded by somatostatin (SST) or its synthetic analogs, although the subtypes and number of SSTRs expressed are very variable. In particular, SST analogs are used frequently to control hormone-related symptoms while their anti-neoplastic activity seems to result prevalently in tumor stabilization. Patients who fail to respond or cease to respond to standard SST analogs treatment seem to have a response to higher doses of these drugs. For this reason, the use of higher doses of SST analogs will probably improve the clinical management of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Unit, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baldelli
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Unit, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barnabei
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rizza
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Isidori
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Unit, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.affiliation: Section of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Fatebenefratelli Hospital , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Giacinto
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Unit, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paoloni
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Torino
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Corsello
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Unit, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Appetecchia
keywords: carcinoid; lanreotide; neuroendocrine tumors; octreotide; somatostatin analogs