Advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour: the success of 'neoadjuvant' chemotherapy

Non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs) are frequently diagnosed at advanced stages, thus limiting the feasibility of curative surgery. The potential utility of different therapeutic modalities with neoadjuvant proposals aimed at facilitating curative surgery has been discussed in the literature and international guidelines. Nevertheless, clinical trials are warranted to analyse the role and efficacy of various treatment protocols in this context. The heterogeneity inherent in different pNETs should be acknowledged, as it may influence treatment response. We report a case of an unresectable pNET with metastatic disease, which exhibited a partial response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, enabling an R0 resection.