Dr. O'Neil on Neuroendocrine Tumors

Bert O’Neil, MD, the Joseph W. and Jackie J. Cusick Professor of Oncology, professor of medicine, and director of the Phase I and Gastrointestinal Oncology Programs at Indiana University, discusses the importance of differentiating between neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

When discussing NETs of the gastrointestinal tract, it is important to distinguish between tumors that arise in the pancreas and those that arise in other areas, O’Neil says. The tumors that originate in the pancreas have a wide variety of hormone associated syndromes that are separate from carcinoid syndrome, which O’Neil says tends to occur in small bowel NETs.

Another important difference between the 2 types of NETs is their response to therapy. Pancreatic NETs, though more aggressive than small bowel NETs, are more likely to have radiographic responses to targeted therapies and chemotherapeutic agents.