Dr. Phan Discusses Challenges With Treating pNETs

Alexandria Phan, MD, the director of GI Medical Oncology at Houston Methodist, discusses some of the challenges oncologists face with treating patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs).

Patients with pNETs are knowledgeable and stay up-to-date with current research on their disease, Phan explains. Therefore, oncologists should be aware of challenges the pNET treatment options and possible side effects when assessing patients. There must be a merger of a patient’s needs and wants for their treatment plan, she adds. This can become difficult as more treatment options become available for pNETs.

Oncologists may not fully understand pNETs, but are aware of the heterogeneity disease, such as differentiation or if patients should be associated with hereditary conditions.

Practitioners are still trying to determine prognostic factors for pNETs.