Regional Regulatory Peptide Laboratory, Kelvin Building, Royal Victoria Hospital, Grosvenor Road, Belfast, BT 126BA, UK.
Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2010 Dec;39(4):777-90. doi: 10.1016/j.ecl.2010.09.001.
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are difficult to diagnose. Their symptoms may be vague or intermittent, and are frequently associated with much more common diseases; many of the tumors may be asymptomatic. Therefore, diagnosis can be delayed for some years. Because most NETs are secretory, the measurement of circulating biomarkers is helpful not only for diagnosis but also for assessing tumor response to treatment, monitoring disease progression, and use as prognostic indicators.
神经内分泌肿瘤（NET）很难诊断。其症状可能较为模糊或间歇性，且常与更为常见的疾病相关联；许多肿瘤可能无症状。因此，诊断可能会延迟数年。由于大多数 NET 是分泌性的，因此循环生物标志物的测量不仅有助于诊断，还有助于评估肿瘤对治疗的反应、监测疾病进展以及用作预后指标。
