Recent results from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston could lead to predictive tests for NET cancer patients and ease anxiety in patients whose tumors are found to be unlikely to recur, while focusing vigilant follow-up monitoring on patients with pNETs having a higher rate of recurrence.
Two distinct subtypes of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) have been found that have dramatically different risks of recurrence following surgical treatment or surgery.
Here is an excerpt from the research news release:
“Until now, these pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours were viewed as relatively identical from a clinical point of view. While some pNETs never develop recurrent metastases following removal of the primary tumor, other patients experience recurrence within a few years, and there has been no specific way to predict these outcomes.”