Gastro-enteropancreatische neuro-endocriene tumoren (carcinoïde tumoren): definitie, kliniek, diagnostiek en therapie

- Carcinoid tumours are rare neuroendocrine tumours. In 2000 the WHO developed a new classification which gives a better description of the characteristics and biological behaviour of the tumour. Their advised designation is gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (GEP-NET).

- Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy has the highest sensitivity for visualisation of GEP-NETs.

- In the recent past years new positron emission tomography (PET) tracers have been developed and PET scanning is likely to become an important tool in the near future.

- Surgical resection is the treatment of first choice for a patient with a GEP-NET. In metastatic disease a number of forms of palliative treatment are possible.

- Cytotoxic chemotherapy seems only to be effective in aggressive, poorly-differentiated tumours.

- Therapy with somatostatin analogues leads to objective tumour regression in a minority of patients only. New advances in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy using radioactive-labelled somatostatin analoga are showing better results.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2006;150:1868-72