Early diagnosis is the key to treating neuroendocrine tumors

Spain is one of the countries most involved in research into this disease.

Oncologist Enrique Grande, head of the department of oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center Hospital in Madrid, emphasized that the main problem in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors is their early diagnosis, before the appearance of metastases.

The average delay in diagnosis in Spain is five years, a period that makes treatment difficult and reduces the chances of a cure. These tumors, although rare (about 4,000 cases in Spain annually), arise in endocrine cells located in organs such as the pancreas, digestivelungs and, in some cases, in the adrenal glands or liver.

Early detection of these tumors will improve the chance of cure because although they are located in an organ or nearby lymph nodes, they can be successfully removed. However, the specialist explains that when they are found in an advanced stage, treatment can only focus on controlling them, but cannot guarantee a cure.

Diagnosis and treatment

Neuroendocrine tumors are difficult to detect because many of their symptoms resemble common discomforts, such as diarrhea, flatulence, or heartburn. However, Grande recommends that if these symptoms persist, you should see a doctor to rule out possible serious problems.

About 20% to 30% of these tumors are “functional,” that is, they produce hormones that can cause hormonal syndromes such as carcinoid, whose symptoms include diarrhea, tachycardia, hot flashes, and sweating.

Given the complex and diverse nature of neuroendocrine tumors, Grande emphasizes the importance of treating patients in referral centers with multidisciplinary teams specialized in this pathology. These centers require not only oncologists and surgeons, but also endocrinologists, interventional radiologists and other specialists for symptom management and comprehensive treatment.

Among the main methods of treatment are somatostatin analogues that block the proliferation of neuroendocrine cells. There are also new treatments such as theranostics, which combine drugs and selective radiation therapy to precisely target the tumor.

Research in Spain

The specialist also emphasizes the fundamental role of research in the treatment of these tumors. Spain has one of the world’s leading collaboration groups in this field, the Spanish Group on Neuroendocrine Tumors (GETNE), which is currently coordinating five different studies. One of the main focuses of this research is the treatment of neuroendocrine carcinoma, a more aggressive variant of these tumors with an average survival rate of less than one year.

Enrique Grande insists on the importance of referring patients to specialist NHS centers that offer multidisciplinary teams and access to the most advanced treatments and technologies, especially in nuclear medicine, to improve the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. The concentration of patients in these reference centers, the specialist concludes, will be critical to increasing success rates and quality of treatment for this complex pathology.