Current status of medical treatment for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms and future perspectives

Abstract Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) constitute a heterogeneous group of tumors. In this review, we summarize the results of various clinical trials that have been conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of various therapeutic options for NENs. Based on the encouraging results obtained from these trials, various therapeutic options have been established for the treatment of NENs, including somatostatin analogs (SSAs), molecularly targeted drugs and cytotoxic agents. In addition, peptide receptor radionucleotide therapy has recently been evaluated for the treatment of various NENs. We also discuss the approach for selecting the appropriate drugs and sequence of treatment with the various drug classes, as recommended by different treatment guidelines. Finally, we discuss the scope for future research in this field, especially into the merits of combination therapy with molecularly targeted drugs plus SSAs, along with ongoing studies.