Neuroendocrine Cancer

Neuroendocrine tumors, also called NETs, begin in neuroendocrine cells, which are spread throughout your body. There are many different kinds of neuroendocrine tumors with many different kinds of symptoms, depending on where the tumor is.

The most common places where neuroendocrine tumors form include:

• Small intestine, rectum, or colon
• Air passageways in the lungs
• Pancreas
• Ovary or cervix
• Thyroid
• Adrenal glands

Neuroendocrine cancer generally affects people over age 60.

Neuroendocrine cancer affects men and women about equally.

Most people diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer are in their 60s, but it also can be found in people of other ages.

Neuroendocrine cancer patients travel great distances to get their treatment with us.

Because neuroendocrine cancers are so rare, very few centers have the deep expertise required to diagnose and treat them effectively. Holden has a team of specialists who provide advanced neuroendocrine cancer care and study new ways to prevent and treat neuroendocrine tumors.

• Holden is known around the world for its neuroendocrine cancer patient care. We’re the first U.S. cancer center to be designated a Neuroendocrine Tumor Center of Excellence by the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society. 
• Holden is recognized as one of the world’s leading neuroendocrine tumor research centers. In 2015, we received a $10 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of NETs. This grant, known as a SPORE grant, is the only NCI grant ever awarded for the study of NETs.
• We offer innovative clinical trials of the most recent treatment methods and therapies.
• We use the highest resolution scanning equipment for diagnosis and treatment. Our doctors use the Gallium DOTA-PET (positron emission tomography) scanner, which provides fast, three-dimensional scans that are among the highest resolution available for diagnosing neuroendocrine tumors.
• Each neuroendocrine diagnosis is different, and each treatment option should be, too. Our doctors and staff work with you and create a treatment program that will best fit you and your cancer. We offer multiple treatment options, including peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), a molecular therapy used to treat neuroendocrine tumors, and theranostics, a way to combine radioactive drugs to identify and treat the main tumor and any metastatic tumors.