Alexandria Phan, MD, the director of GI Medical Oncology at Houston Methodist, discusses some of the challenges oncologists face with treating patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs).

Patients with pNETs are knowledgeable and stay up-to-date with current research on their disease, Phan explains. Therefore, oncologists should be aware of challenges the pNET treatment options and possible side effects when assessing patients. There must be a merger of a patient’s needs and wants for their treatment plan, she adds. This can become difficult as more treatment options become available for pNETs.

Oncologists may not fully understand pNETs, but are aware of the heterogeneity disease, such as differentiation or if patients should be associated with hereditary conditions.

Practitioners are still trying to determine prognostic factors for pNETs.

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Dr. Phan Discusses Challenges With Treating pNETs

	Alexandria Phan, MD, the director of GI Medical Oncology at Houston Methodist, discusses a subgroup analysis of the phase III CLARINET study.

gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors 

	The CLARINET study led to the approval of lanreotide (Somatuline Depot) for the treatment of patients with advanced unresectable, metastatic 

GEP-NETs), in December 2013. In the study, treatment with the somatostatin analog lanreotide improved progression-free survival by 53% compared with placebo for patients with grade 1 or 2 GEP-NETs.

	The subgroup analysis took a closer look at the risks, benefits, and outcomes for patients taking lanreotide for the treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs). Phan says the results of the analysis showed that the benefits of taking lanreotide as a first-line treatment outweighed the risks, and that the drug improved progression-free survival.

View more from the 2015 GI Cancer Symposium

The CLARINET study led to the approval of lanreotide (Somatuline Depot) for the treatment of patients with advanced unresectable, metastatic gastrointestinal and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs.) 

Alexandria Phan, MD

Articles

Dr. Phan Discusses Challenges With Treating pNETs

Dr. Alexandria Phan on a CLARINET Study Subgroup Analysis