Dr. Lee on Selecting a Treatment Approach for Neuroendocrine Tumors

Yoomi Lee, MD, a specialty care physician at Inova Medical Group, discusses her process for selecting a treatment approach for patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

The most important factors when selecting treatment are individualized for every patient, Lee says. For example, in a younger patient with low- to intermediate-grade neuroendocrine tumors, it is important to get the most benefit out of somatostatin (Reducin) analogue as possible.

Additionally, it is important not to utilize peptide receptor radionuclide therapy too early in treatment, due to a risk of the patient developing myelodysplastic syndrome of approximately 2%. This risk is a significant concern for young patients who are expected to have a long survival, Lee concludes.