[Drug therapy for neuroendocrine tumours]

The author aims to review the established medical treatment options of neuroendocrine tumours, which have expanded greatly in recent years and present the most important aspects to be considered in planning patients' management. Medical treatment is usually considered in advanced stages of these tumours, as well as in cases of hormone overproduction. Somatostatin analogues have been known to be effective in alleviating hormone excess syndromes, especially carcinoid syndrome for the past 25 years. There is a convincing evidence that the somatostatin analogue octreotide is useful as an antitumor agent, at least in well-differentiated small intestinal neuroendocrine tumours and probably also in those of pancreatic origin. Interferons may be also used and the indications for their use may be almost the same. Optimal patient selection is mandatory for the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Streptozotocin- and, recently, temozolomide-based chemotherapies should be considered in progressive phases of well differentiated (G1/G2) pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. A cisplatin-etoposide combination is the first choice for the treatment of G3 neuroendocrine carcinomas of any origin. Recently, the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor everolimus and the combined tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib were registered for the treatment of G1/G2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. The most recent drug treatment recommendations and therapeutic algorithms to improve systemic therapy in patients with neuroendocrine tumours are summarized and novel drug candidates with particular potential for future management of these tumours are outlined.