Advances in systemic therapy for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine malignancies

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are relatively uncommon. They typically arise in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs, and their incidence seems to be rising. Most patients have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis and many more will relapse after surgery. There is thus a great need for improvements in therapy for advanced neuroendocrine tumors. This article reviews the current therapy for both pancreatic NETs and non-pancreatic gastrointestinal NETs, and discusses recent advances in NET management with an emphasis on targeted therapy.