Liver-Directed Therapies in Patients With Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are increasing in incidence. Incidental NETs that may have little clinical significance, such as gastric and rectal primaries, are often identified because of increased screening efforts and advanced imaging modalities. Although NETs are biologically indolent cancers, many patients present with incurable metastatic disease to the liver at initial diagnosis. Some literature suggests a delay averaging almost 5 years in making the correct diagnosis based on clinical symptoms. Although surgical resection offers the only potentially curative therapy, liver-directed therapies, such as embolization and ablation, offer effective alternatives to control symptoms and potentially impact overall survival. This article reviews the latest liver-directed approaches to the management of advanced NETs. (JNCCN 2012;10:765-774)