NANETS Symposium to Feature Important Late-Breaking Trials

NANETS 2015

The 2015NorthAmericanNeuroendocrineTumorSociety(NANETS)Annual Symposium begins Thursday, October 15, 2015, and the theme focuses on a team perspective. Kari Brendtro is the founder of NANETS and currently serves as its executive director. Brendtro recently spoke withTargeted Oncologyabout some of this year's upcoming presentations.

Targeted Oncology:What will be some highlights of key sessions at the symposium dealing with targeted therapies in NETs?

Brendtro: The results of several late-breaking and important clinical trials will be presented at this year's NANETS Annual Symposium. During the opening session of the meeting, the results of the TELESTAR trial (randomized phase III trial of telotristat versus placebo in patients with carcinoid syndrome), the NETTER-1 trial (randomized phase III trial of 177-Lu-DOTATATE versus high-dose octreotide in patients with progressive midgut NETs), and the RADIANT-4 study (randomized phase III trial of everolimus versus placebo in advanced nonfunctional GI and lung NETs) will be presented.

What will be some highlights of key sessions dealing with immunotherapies in NETs?

In a session on immunotherapy, we will review advances and strategies for immune checkpoint blockade in melanoma and other cancers and discuss how lessons learned might be applied to immunotherapy for neuroendocrine tumors. Case studies of immunotherapy used to treat patients with NETs will also be presented.

What sessions will be most useful for the medical oncologist to use in their clinical practice?

The results of recent practice-changing phase III clinical trials, including the TELESTAR, NETTER-1, and RADIANT-4 trials will be presented and discussed. Other sessions at the meeting will cover a wide variety of clinically relevant topics including the management of incidentally discovered NETs, appendiceal NETs, G3 neuroendocrine carcinomas, lung NETs, controversies in hepatic embolization, and updates in nuclear imaging.

What cutting-edge research will be discussed that medical oncologist may want to follow in the months and years to come?

In addition to the TELESTAR, NETTER-1, and RADIANT-4 trials, the meeting will also include two other research sessions devoted to the presentation of basic, translational, and clinical studies focusing on potential new therapeutic targets in NETs, recently identified genetic alterations in NETs, and predictors of treatment response.

What are the considerations in lung NETs that may be discussed at the symposium?

The meeting includes a session devoted to lung NET, which includes a presentation of the findings and future plans of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Working Group on lung NETs, discussions on the WHO pathological classification of NETs, and genetics of lung NETs, and an overview of advances in the medical management of lung NETs.

What are the controversies in hepatic arterial embolization and what can attendees expect from this debate?

Hepatic embolization has become accepted as one standard palliative option for patients with unresectable NETs with liver-only or liver-dominant metastases. However, there are no adequately powered, controlled studies that compare different types of embolizations (ie, bland embolization versus chemoembolization versus radiolabeled beads to the liver). This debate will have each speaker advocate for their [preferred] type of embolization to treat patients with liver-dominant NET metastases. We will then use case studies and debate the right type of embolization to consider for that patient. We will encourage audience participation.

The conference focuses on a team perspective; why is it important to focus on the team perspective this year?

We have made tremendous advances recently in our understanding of the biology and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. As knowledge and treatment options expand, it remains critical that we approach research and therapy with a multidisciplinary approach. At this year's meeting, we will have a gathering of many of the world's leading specialists in NETs, including medical oncologists, surgeons, endocrinologists, nuclear medicine specialists, gastroenterologists, interventional radiologists, pathologists, basic scientists, and other specialties.

For more information on the conference, stay tuned toTargeted Oncology'sexclusive coverage or visit the NANETS website at:http://www.targetedonc.com/conference/2015-NANETS