Onkológia 4/2011

Neuroendocrine tumors from oncologist‘s point of view

Neuroendocrine tumors belong to tumors with low incidence but relative high prevalence due to long term survival of patients with well differentiated tumors. They occur most often in the gastrointestinal tract, about 25 % are localized in respiratory tract. Clinical picture is modified by local signs of tumor, typical is symptomatology from hormonal overproduction such as a carcinoid syndroma, hypoglycemia or resistent peptic ulcers of gastroduodenum. Therapy is complex, includes surgical resection of tumor and metastases, in well differentiated tumors biological treatment with somatostatin analogues or interferon alfa is indicated. By metastatic disease peptid radionuclid receptor therapy in some patients could be indicated.

Keywords: neuroendocrine tumor, carcinoid syndroma, biological treatment.