Treatment sequencing for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: daring to challenge the status quo

摘要

The incidence of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) continues to increase, prompting renewed interest in the pathophysiology and treatment of this disease ( ). These rare tumors are biologically distinct from pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC) and account for less than 3% of pancreatic cancers. While the prognosis of patients with pNET in general is more favorable than PDAC, there is wide variation in phenotype and survival outcomes between patients. Surgical resection has been the mainstay of therapy, but recently, a plethora of clinical trials have identified novel therapies that improve symptom free survival and delay disease progression.