Carcinoid and pancreatic endocrine tumors: recent advances in molecular pathogenesis, localization, and treatment

Neuroendocrine tumors include carcinoids and pancreatic endocrine tumors, w hich share a number of common features in their pathology, ability to cause clinical symptoms due to ectopic hormone and bioamine release, localizatio n methods, and treatment. Although generally slow growing, a proportion dem onstrate aggressive tumor growth. Therefore, in many cases treatment must b e directed against both the tumor and the hormone-excess state. There have been significant recent advances into their molecular pathogenesis, natural history. and prognostic factors; clinical presentation defined by larger s eries analysis; localization methods; and the development of new treatments directed against the tumor and to control the hormone-excess state (includ ing depot somatostatin analogues, interferon combinations, embolization, ch emoembolization, radiotherapy with novel somatostatin analogues, and liver transplantation). Recent advances in each of these areas are briefly discus sed. Curr Opin Oncol 2000, 12:368-377 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkin s, Inc.