WELL-DIFFERENTIATED NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS (NETS): ANALYSIS OF 86 CASES TREATED WITH LONG ACTING SOMATOSTATINE ANALOGUES (SSA)

Background: Somatostatine analogues represent an important therapeutic choose for NETs. SSA have demonstrated activity in symptomatic control, but only few data in terms of time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) have been reported. In pre-SSA era median OS was 26 and 67 months in foregut and midgut NETs respectively from start of treatment. The aim of this analysis is to evaluate the outcome of patients treated with SSA. Materials and Methods: From June 1997 to January 2009, 86 pts with metastatic NETs were treated with SSA in our center. Patients characteristics were: median age 63 years (range 24-80); males 56, female 30; pancreatic 30, gastrointestinal 48, other sites 8; functioning 37, non-functioning 49; symptomatic 51; metastatic disease at diagnosis 73; 77 pts had surgery; 76 patients had a positive Octreoscan; 79 pts had SSA as firstline therapy, 7 pts had previous therapy: IFN 2, s.c. Somatostatine 2, TACE 1, Radiometabolic therapy 1, Chemotherapy 1. All pts received SSA: Lanreotide 37, Octreotide 49. Results: Median TTP was 22 months (CI 95% 16,5-27,5). Statistically significant differences were observed between: symptomatic and not symptomatic disease (24 vs 17 months, p=0,05); pancreatic, gastrointestinal and other sites (22 vs 23 vs 12 months, p=0,049). Median OS was 113 months (C:I: 95% 63-163); no statistically significant differences were observed among subgroups.Conclusions: NETs have generally an indolent growth, but prognosis remains poor. This retrospective analysis suggests that SSA can improve the outcome of this disease. Further studies are required to identify biological markers for new combined therapies