Dr. Reidy-Lagunes on Determining the Site of Unknown Primary in Metastatic NETs

Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses an analysis looking at a practical method of determining the site of unknown primary in metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). This was presented by Jessica E. Maxwell, MD, MBA, from the University of Iowa, at a clinical science symposium at the 2014 NANETS Symposium.

Approximately 20% of patients with NETs have an unknown primary. In this analysis, an algorithm involving gene and protein expression was created from over 100 metastases from known small bowl and pancreatic primaries. With over 90% accuracy, researchers were able to evaluate immunohistochemistry, define small bowel or pancreatic NETs by pathology, and confirm it with genetic testing.

This method has not yet been validated with unknown primaries.

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