Dr. Strosberg Discusses Updates From the NETTER-1 Study

Jonathan Strosberg, MD, associate professor, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses updates from the NETTER-1 study in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).

In January 2018, the FDA approved Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate) for the treatment of patients with somatostatin receptor—positive gastroenteropancreatic NETs. This was based on findings from the phase III NETTER-1 trial, which compared Lutathera with high-dose octreotide LAR for patients with grade 1 or 2 metastatic midgut NETs.

At the 2018 ESMO Congress, a prognostic and predictive factor analysis regarding liver tumor volume was presented. Strosberg says that the liver is the primary metastatic site for patients with NETS, particularly midgut NETs. Tumor burden is known to be a poor prognostic factor, he adds. The impact of radiopharmaceuticals on liver tumor volume is not known, but it is thought that those with high tumor burden will have more liver toxicity.