Phan Alexandria T, Yao James C
Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Oncology (Williston Park). 2008 Dec;22(14):1617-23; discussion 1623-4, 1629.
The diagnosed incidence rate of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is on the rise. Prevalence calculations show NETs to be more common then previously thought. Although generally thought to be indolent, advanced NETs remain incurable and are resistant to most cytotoxic agents. The available biologic agents have limited activity against these tumors. Novel and active agents are clearly needed. The recent emergence of molecularly targeted therapy in oncology has brought renewed interest in the development of novel agents for this group of diseases. This paper will review the molecular biology of NETs, promising novel targeted therapy approaches including agents targeting angiogenesis and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways, as well as pivotal phase III studies that may set new standards of care for this disease.
神经内分泌肿瘤（NETs）的确诊发病率正在上升。患病率计算表明，NETs比之前认为的更为常见。尽管通常认为NETs生长缓慢，但晚期NETs仍然无法治愈，并且对大多数细胞毒性药物具有抗性。现有的生物制剂对这些肿瘤的活性有限。显然需要新型的活性药物。肿瘤学中分子靶向治疗的近期出现，重新激发了人们对开发针对这类疾病的新型药物的兴趣。本文将综述NETs的分子生物学、有前景的新型靶向治疗方法，包括针对血管生成和雷帕霉素哺乳动物靶点（mTOR）通路的药物，以及可能为这种疾病设定新治疗标准的关键III期研究。
