Practical Guidelines for DNA-Based Testing in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) is an autosomal dominant predisposition to neoplastic lesions of the parathyroid glands, the neuroendocrine pancreas, and the anterior pituitary gland. The predisposing genetic defect was localized to the long arm of chromosome 11 by genetic linkage analysis in three affected families. By analyzing six MEN 1 families with 14 DNA marker systems located close to the MEN 1 gene, we have developed a method to identify carriers of the MEN 1 predisposition. We describe practical aspects of such DNA-based diagnostic procedures

imaging and biomarkers in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor disease management

The complexity of the clinical management of neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN) is exacerbated by limitations in imaging modalities and a paucity of clinically useful biomarkers. Limitations in currently available imaging modalities reflect difficulties in measuring an intrinsically indolent disease, resolution inadequacies and inter-/intra-facility device variability and that RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) criteria are not optimal for NEN. Limitations of currently used biomarkers are that they are secretory biomarkers (chromogranin A, serotonin, neuron-specific enolase and pancreastatin); monoanalyte measurements; and lack sensitivity, specificity and predictive capacity. None of them meet the NIH metrics for clinical usage. A multinational, multidisciplinary Delphi consensus meeting of NEN experts (n = 33) assessed current imaging strategies and biomarkers in NEN management. Consensus (>75%) was achieved for 78% of the 142 questions. The panel concluded that morphological imaging has a diagnostic value. However, both imaging and current single-analyte biomarkers exhibit substantial limitations in measuring the disease status and predicting the therapeutic efficacy. RECIST remains suboptimal as a metric. A critical unmet need is the development of a clinico-biological tool to provide enhanced information regarding precise disease status and treatment response. The group considered that circulating RNA was better than current general NEN biomarkers and preliminary clinical data were considered promising. It was resolved that circulating multianalyte mRNA (NETest) had clinical utility in both diagnosis and monitoring disease status and therapeutic efficacy. Overall, it was concluded that a combination of tumor spatial and functional imaging with circulating transcripts (mRNA) would represent the future strategy for real- time monitoring of disease progress and therapeutic efficacy

Future Directions in the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumors: Consensus Report of the National Cancer Institute Neuroendocrine Tumor Clinical Trials Planning Meeting

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) arise from a variety of anatomic sites and share the capacity for production of hormones and vasoactive peptides. Because of their perceived rarity, NETs have not historically been a focus of rigorous clinical research. However, the diagnosed incidence of NETs has been increasing, and the estimated prevalence in the United States exceeds 100,000 individuals. The recent completion of several phase III studies, including those evaluating octreotide, sunitinib, and everolimus, has demonstrated that rigorous evaluation of novel agents in this disease is both feasible and can lead to practice-changing outcomes. The NET Task Force of the National Cancer Institute GI Steering Committee convened a clinical trials planning meeting to identify key unmet needs, develop appropriate study end points, standardize clinical trial inclusion criteria, and formulate priorities for future NET studies for the US cooperative group program. Emphasis was placed on the development of well-designed clinical trials with clearly defined efficacy criteria. Key recommendations include the evaluation of pancreatic NET separately from NETs of other sites and the exclusion of patients with poorly differentiated histologies from trials focused on low-grade histologies. Studies evaluating novel agents for the control of hormonal syndromes should avoid somatostatin analog washout periods when possible and should include quality-of-life end points. Because of the observed long survival after progression of many patients, progression-free survival is recommended as a feasible and relevant primary end point for both phase III studies and phase II studies where a delay in progression is expected in the absence of radiologic responses

Editorial - Neuroendocrine tumors A growing cancer field

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Prospective Screening in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1

To assess the age of clinically detectable onset of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1), 88 members of four families were invited to participate in a ten-year biochemical screening program. Evidence for clinically detectable MEN 1 was found in adolescence. Pancreatic endocrine dysfunction constituted the presenting lesion in a majority of these individuals. The age at diagnosis of pancreatic endocrine tumors averaged 25 years and was lowered by almost two decades by prospective investigation. Furthermore, the penetrance of the pancreatic endocrine and parathyroid lesions equaled the penetrance found in autopsy studies. The use of a standardized meal stimulation test with the measurement of serum pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and gastrin responses resulted in diagnostic sensitivities of 75% and 100%, respectively. In addition to basal serum PP and insulin values, the proinsulin level was predictive for early pancreatic involvement in MEN 1. Serum gastrin was another useful tumor marker but only in the patients with pancreatic tumors diagnosed outside the prospective investigation. Two of the four MEN 1 kindreds selected for the screening investigation displayed homogeneity within families with respect to the profile of peptide excess and malignant potential of the pancreatic endocrine lesion, while the remaining kindreds demonstrated variable MEN 1 traits

Role of somatostatins in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor development and therapy

The incidence and prevalence of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) have increased in the past 20 years. GEP-NETs are heterogeneous tumors, in terms of clinical and biological features, that originate from the pancreas or the intestinal tract. Some GEP-NETs grow very slowly, some grow rapidly and do not cause symptoms, and others cause hormone hypersecretion and associated symptoms. Most GEP-NETs overexpress receptors for somatostatins. Somatostatins inhibit the release of many hormones and other secretory proteins; their effects are mediated by G protein-coupled receptors that are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Most GEP-NETs overexpress the somatostatin receptor SSTR2; somatostatin analogues are the best therapeutic option for functional neuroendocrine tumors because they reduce hormone-related symptoms and also have antitumor effects. Long-acting formulations of somatostatin analogues stabilize tumor growth over long periods. The development of radioactive analogues for imaging and peptide receptor radiotherapy has improved the management of GEP-NETs. Peptide receptor radiotherapy has significant antitumor effects, increasing overall survival times of patients with tumors that express a high density of SSTRs, particularly SSTR2 and SSTR5. The multi-receptor somatostatin analogue SOM230 (pasireotide) and chimeric molecules that bind SSTR2 and the dopamine receptor D2 are also being developed to treat patients with GEP-NETs. Combinations of radioactive labeled and unlabeled somatostatin analogues and therapeutics that inhibit other signaling pathways, such as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and vascular endothelial growth factor, might be the most effective therapeutics for GEP-NETs