Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Therapy with somatostatin analouges is usually ineffective to remove hormonal symptoms in patients with functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET). Alternative treatment modalities, to control symptoms of excessive hormonal production, are necessary. Thus, the aim of our study was to evaluate results of radiopeptide treatment in patient with functional pNET.

Materials and methods: 92 patients with pNET (49 women and 43 men, median age 58) have been observed for the last 10 years (2004–2014). Functional pNET were diagnosed in 21 (23%) of them, including 9 (10%) insulinomas 4 (4.5%) gastrinomas, 4 (4.5%), glucagonomas, 2 (2%) VIP-omas and 2 (2%) with mixed hormonal activity. Seven patients with inoperable functional pNET and high expression of somatostatin receptor (confirmed in scintigraphy) were treated with radiolabelled somatostatin analouges. In all of them other treatment modalities were ineffective to control clinical symptoms of hormonal production.

Results: Clinical symptoms, resulting from excessive hormonal production, decreased after the first course of radiopeptide therapy and completely resolved at the end of the treatment in all treated patients. Three subjects suffered from symptoms recurrence after a median time of 22 months. Clinical response was accompanied by tumor regression according to RECIST criteria in three patients.

Conclusions: Radiolabelled somatostatin analogues, administered in patients with pNET, allow for good control of clinical symptoms and objective tumor response.