Endocrine Abstracts

Background: CALM-NET (EudraCT 2013-002194-22; NCT02075606), a prospective, exploratory study, evaluated enumeration of pre-treatment circulating tumour cells as a predictor of symptomatic response to lanreotide autogel (LAN) in patients with functional midgut neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). Here, we describe the effect of LAN on biomarkers.Methods: Patients, ≥18 years, with functional, well- or moderately-differentiated midgut NETs were treated with...

Background: The identification and characterization of CTCs as part of a minimally invasive “liquid biopsy” has potential as a real-time biomarker in cancer patients. Using blood samples from NET patients, we evaluate the epitope-independent Parsortix, which enriches CTCs based on size and rigidity, and compare to the EpCAM-dependent CellSearch platform.Methods: About 10 patients with histologically confirmed metastatic NET had synchronous 7.5 ...

Background: Immunotherapy is currently being explored in many tumour types with encouraging results, but has not yet been evaluated in neuroendocrine tumours (NET). Our aim is to characterise the immune landscape of NET and determine which immune-modulatory pathways control the tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in order to develop a rational approach for immunotherapy in this tumour type.Methods: Peripheral blood and fresh tissue was obtained from c...

Background: Bone metastases have been described in up to 15% of patients with NETs and are associated with a worse clinical outcome. Here we investigate the role of CTCs as a marker of bone metastases in a large cohort of patients with gastroenteropancreatic NETs.Methods: To be eligible for the study, patients were required to be ≥ 18 years old, have histologically confirmed midgut or pancreatic NET (pNET) and metastatic disease measurable by RECIS...

Background: Everolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, is licensed for use in adult pts with advanced well-differentiated pNETs in the UK. Limited Health-Related Quality-of-Life (HrQOL) data are available for everolimus therapy in these pts.Methods: This prospective study assessed changes in HrQoL (by monthly patient-reported EORTC QLQ-C30, -G.I.NET21 and EQ-5D questionnaires), in pts with pNETs during the first 6 months (mo) of treatment wit...

Integration of genetics and epigenetics has emerged as a powerful approach to study cellular differentiation and tumourigenesis. The study of DNA methylation is of particular importance in cancer as causal involvement has been demonstrated and it is the most stable of all epigenetic modifications, making it a desirable marker for both early detection and treatment of tumours. Hypermethylation of CpG sites in gene promoter regions leads to decreased gene expression, if such a g...

Introduction: MANEC is a rare diagnosis and little is known on its epidemiology/prognosis/management.Methods: Demographic/clinical-pathological/survival data of patients with a diagnosis of MANEC (2010 WHO criteria) from five European centres were retrospectively reviewed.Results: Sixty-six patients were identified (09/80–07/17); median age: 62.5 years (range 34–89); male: 66.7%; ECOG-PS 0-1: 59%; primary tumours from: sm...