title: Imaging approaches to assess the therapeutic response of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs): current perspectives and future trends of an exciting field in development.
abstract: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are a family of neoplasms with a complex spectrum of clinical behavior. Although generally more indolent than carcinomas, once they progress beyond surgical resectability, they are essentially incurable. Systemic treatment options have substantially expanded in recent years for the management of advanced disease. Imaging plays a major role in new drug development, as it is the main tool used to objectively evaluate response to novel agents. However, current standard response criteria have proven suboptimal for the assessment of the antiproliferative effect of many targeted agents, particularly in the context of slow-growing tumors such as well-differentiated NETs. The aims of this article are to discuss the advantages and limitations of conventional radiological techniques and standard response assessment criteria and to review novel imaging modalities in development as well as alternative cancer- and therapy-specific criteria to assess drug efficacy in the field of GEP-NETs.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, Center affiliated to the Red Tematica de Investigacion Cooperativa en Cancer (RTICC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Av. Cordoba km 5.4, 28041, Madrid, Spain. rgcarbonero@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rocio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcia-Carbonero
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcia-Figueiras
authors.affiliation: Hematology and Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carmona-Bayonas
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria y Hospital Regional Universitario, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sevilla
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Instituto Catalán de Oncología (ICO), Center affiliated to the Red Tematica de Investigacion Cooperativa en Cancer (RTICC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teule
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quindos
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grande
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Center affiliated to the Red Tematica de Investigacion Cooperativa en Cancer (RTICC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Capdevila
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Department, Hospital Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aller
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Navarra, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arbizu
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jimenez-Fonseca
mesh_terms: D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D010179:Pancreas / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D011859:Radiography; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Functional imaging; Neuroendocrine tumors; Radiological evaluation; Response assessment; Response criteria