Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms of increasing incidence and challenging clinical management. A peculiar feature of these tumors is their potential ability to secrete amines or peptide hormones that produce characteristic clinical syndromes (functioning tumors). Hormonal syndromes may seriously impair patient´s quality of life with a negative impact also on prognosis. Their relative rarity, wide anatomic distribution and heterogeneous biological behaviour have hindered the efforts to decipher the molecular mechanisms involved in tumor development and progression. The recent development and increased accessibility to “omic” technologies has improved our understanding of the genomic and epigenomic events driving NET pathogenesis. In this context, international guidelines for NETs emphasize collaboration among different medical disciplines to improve patients’ care and standardize diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. A multidisciplinary team, composed of members with different disciplines, has been showed to be capable of synergistically contribute in a significant and original way to the progress in the NET field, with a strict collaboration between medical and biomedical sciences. We invite submissions of manuscripts to update and summarize the latest evidence on NET diagnosis and therapy and highlight areas where these may be improved.
Topics explored in this issue will include, but will not be limited to, the following:
-preclinical studies including genetic and epigenetic analysis;
-pathological diagnosis;
-imaging technology in radiology and nuclear medicine ;
-therapeutic approaches;
-quality of life evaluation and supportive care.
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms of increasing incidence and challenging clinical management. A peculiar feature of these tumors is their potential ability to secrete amines or peptide hormones that produce characteristic clinical syndromes (functioning tumors). Hormonal syndromes may seriously impair patient´s quality of life with a negative impact also on prognosis. Their relative rarity, wide anatomic distribution and heterogeneous biological behaviour have hindered the efforts to decipher the molecular mechanisms involved in tumor development and progression. The recent development and increased accessibility to “omic” technologies has improved our understanding of the genomic and epigenomic events driving NET pathogenesis. In this context, international guidelines for NETs emphasize collaboration among different medical disciplines to improve patients’ care and standardize diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. A multidisciplinary team, composed of members with different disciplines, has been showed to be capable of synergistically contribute in a significant and original way to the progress in the NET field, with a strict collaboration between medical and biomedical sciences. We invite submissions of manuscripts to update and summarize the latest evidence on NET diagnosis and therapy and highlight areas where these may be improved.
Topics explored in this issue will include, but will not be limited to, the following:
-preclinical studies including genetic and epigenetic analysis;
-pathological diagnosis;
-imaging technology in radiology and nuclear medicine ;
-therapeutic approaches;
-quality of life evaluation and supportive care.
