Molecular targeted therapy for neuroendocrine tumors.

Although endocrine tumors are often slow growing, most can be life threatening and are considered resistant to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. The recent emergence of molecularly targeted therapy in oncology has brought renewed interest in the development of novel agents for this rare group of diseases. Preliminary results from phase II studies have shown promising results for VEGF and mTOR inhibitors in carcinoid and islet cell carcinoma and RET inhibitors in medullary thyroid carcinoma. Large confirmatory studies are planned.