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Neuroendocrine tumour

Cancer care

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If you are worried that you may have a neuroendocrine tumour, we are able to offer you the latest treatments delivered by some of the foremost experts in this type of disease. 

You will have access to fast and accurate diagnosis, advanced surgical techniques and the latest technologies and medicines as part of an individualised treatment plan to give you the best possible outcome. 

Your treatment will be managed by a consultant-led multi-disciplinary team of different experts, many of whom are world-renowned in their field. Our team will ensure that you will be central to any decisions about your care and involve you at every stage of your individual treatment plan.

The very best care for neuroendocrine tumours

We are able to offer you the very best care for neuroendocrine tumours at our units at Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals because: 

  • we are a European Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (ENETS) centre of excellence for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours and we closely collaborate with other centres of excellence in the UK and abroad
  • we have a team of highly-specialist clinicians, some of whom are world leaders in treating neuroendocrine tumours
  • we have access to the most accurate diagnostic techniques, state-of-the-art surgical and interventional non-surgical procedures and the latest drug therapies
  • our involvement in research through our links to the world-class Imperial College academic institution means you will have quicker access to pioneering treatments and potentially the opportunity to take part in trials of new therapies
  • we pride ourselves on offering you personalised treatment based on an expert analysis of the specific characteristics of your type of tumour to achieve the best results
  • we work closely with the UK NET Patient Foundation which will be able to offer you advice and support 

Your diagnosis 

As soon as you are referred to us for private treatment, our specialists will perform a series of tests for a precise diagnosis to develop the best approaches to treating your tumour. 

Neuroendocrine tumours are a rare type of abnormal tissue growth that develops in neuroendocrine cells which produce hormones. Most neuroendocrine tumours develop in the stomach, small bowel, pancreas and large bowel although they can also appear elsewhere in the body. 

We take a thorough approach to diagnosis and your tests can include advanced scanning techniques such as CT, MRI , and nuclear medicine scans (PET/CT). You may also have special blood and hormone tests or an endoscopy test where a thin flexible instrument is used to look inside parts of the body. 

You will be carefully looked after by your consultant-led team of experts which can include specialist surgeons, gastroenterologists, pathologists, medical oncologists (experts in anti-cancer drugs), radiologists and specialist nurses. They will review your tests and scans and develop a personalised treatment plan for you, involving you at every stage in your future care. 

Your treatment options for neuroendocrine tumours 

We can offer you the full range of treatments for neuroendocrine tumours. Your expert team will recommend the best options for you depending on the type, location of the tumour and the stage of your disease. 

The main treatments are: 

Surgery 

Surgery is usually the first line of treatment and our highly-skilled surgeons will use the latest techniques to remove the tumour or destroy cancer cells. We may recommend minimally invasive keyhole or open surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. 

In most cases, neuroendocrine tumours of the stomach or large bowel can in be removed endoscopically using a camera and a device. 

Radiotherapy 

Our advanced techniques include selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) to treat tumours which have spread to the liver. This type of internal radiotherapy directs tiny beads of radioactive material via a thin tube into the small blood vessels around the tumour. 

We also offer peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) which uses a cancer-cell targeting protein combined with a small radioactive substance. This is injected into the bloodstream and binds to the tumour cells, delivering a dose of radiation. 

Chemotherapy and biological therapies 

If it is the right option for you, we provide chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs) as well as innovative drug combinations and targeted therapies which target specific characteristics in the tumour. 

For more information please visit the radiotherapy section of our website. 

Chemotherapy and targeted therapies 

We have a team of highly-skilled medical and clinical oncologists who are experts in using drugs to treat cancer. If it is an effective option for you, we may recommend chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells either on its own or in combination with radiotherapy. 

Our specialist expertise means we are also able to offer the most innovative therapies including targeted therapies which are drugs that slow the growth of cancer by interfering with specific molecules in certain tumours. 

As one of our private patients, you will have accelerated access to the newest drug therapies and your expert team will discuss with you the best options for you. For more information please visit the chemotherapy section of our website. 

Research 

We are proud of our track record in ground-breaking research to improve treatments for neuroendocrine tumours. Together with national and international partners, we are working on the development of biomarkers or genetic fingerprints of certain neuroendocrine tumours to allow earlier detection, more accurate diagnosis and the selection of the best treatments for a personalised targeted approach to treating individual patients. 

Our involvement in clinical trials means you will have access to up-to-date treatments and the best approaches to treating your disease.