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Neuroendocrine Tumors: From Diagnosis to Therapy (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 376

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Radiology Unit, Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, University of Rome Sapienza, Via di Grottarossa 1035, 00189 Rome, Italy
Interests: imaging; oncology; CT; MRI; artificial intelligence; radiomics; response to therapy
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Guest Editor
1. Digestive Disease Unit, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, ENETS Center of Excellence or Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
2. Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
Interests: neuroendocrine tumors; gastrointestinal disorders; pancreatic diseases; malnutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Radiology Unit–Sant’Andrea University Hospital, Via di Grottarossa, 1035-1039, 00189 Rome, Italy
Interests: imaging; oncology; CT; MRI; artificial intelligence; radiomics; response to therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Nuclear Medicine Unit, University Hospital Sant'Andrea, Via di Grottarossa 1035, 00189 Rome, Italy
Interests: nuclear medicine; PET/CT; response to therapy; PRRT
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue titled “Neuroendocrine Tumors: From Diagnosis to Therapy” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers/special_issues/5BRW1F64W9).

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are considered rare tumors with a wide spectrum of behaviors. Although they are mainly indolent, NENs are highly dependent on the presence of high-risk clinical features (such as metastatic disease, grading, ki67, the expression of somatostatin receptors, and primary sites). Diagnoses employ a dual morphological and functional approach in NENs and are based on histology and imaging.

However, these conventional evaluations present some intrinsic drawbacks, from limited tissue sampling in the case of tumor biopsy to bias linked to the subjective assessment of medical images. Furthermore, based on the assessment of response to therapy, the morphological RECIST 1.1 criteria may be reductive and inappropriate, especially in the case of target therapy.

In this context, quantitative imaging has acquired relevance as a supporting tool for clinicians in order to overcome the limits associated with the conventional approach, especially in prediction prognosis and in response to therapy. Thus, to outline a structured therapeutic path, one of the future landscapes of NEN management may be the integration of quantitative imaging with conventional evaluations.

This Special Issue will highlight the main strengths and limitations of the management of NENs, from diagnosis to response to therapy and will investigate the emerging role of quantitative biomarkers.

Dr. Damiano Caruso
Prof. Dr. Francesco Panzuto
Dr. Michela Polici
Dr. Daniela Prosperi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • neuroendocrine neoplasms
  • CT
  • MR
  • PET/CT
  • target therapy
  • quantitative biomarkers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 1334 KB  
Article
Cardiac Metastases in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: A Single-Center Experience of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes
by Raphaela D. Lewetag, Nils F. Trautwein, Monika Zdanyte, Jonas Mück, Patrick Krumm, Ulrich M. Lauer, Stephan Singer, Bence Sipos, Christian la Fougère, Lars Zender, Clemens Hinterleitner and Martina Hinterleitner
Cancers 2025, 17(24), 3907; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17243907 - 6 Dec 2025
Viewed by 201
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Cardiac metastases (CM) represent a rare manifestation of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN). Detailed clinical characteristics and significance remain understudied. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 1201 patients with NEN treated at an ENETS Center of Excellence to determine prevalence, clinical features, and outcomes of cardiac [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Cardiac metastases (CM) represent a rare manifestation of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN). Detailed clinical characteristics and significance remain understudied. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 1201 patients with NEN treated at an ENETS Center of Excellence to determine prevalence, clinical features, and outcomes of cardiac metastases. CM were identified in 15 patients (prevalence 1.25%) through multimodal imaging, incorporating somatostatin receptor positron emission tomography/computed tomography (SSTR PET/CT). Metachronous CM occurrence accounted for 93% of cases. Results: The majority of patients showed well-differentiated tumors (G1/G2), with ileum being the most frequent site of origin. Clinical symptoms attributable to CM were observed in 27% of affected patients. Following CM detection, therapeutic management was adjusted in 73% of cases, most frequently by initiating peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) n = 8, 53%. Median overall survival (OS) from CM diagnosis was 95 months, with an estimated 5-year survival rate of 77%, with a 5-year OS from NEN diagnosis of 87%. Conclusions: CM in NEN are rare and often clinically silent, with SSTR PET/CT proving essential for detection. While treatment adjustments were frequently observed, particularly with PRRT, OS remained favorable, indicating that the presence of CM in NEN serves as an indicator of metastatic spread rather than a standalone diagnostic determinant of survival. Larger, prospective studies are needed to further validate these findings and to better define the clinical implications of CM in NEN. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroendocrine Tumors: From Diagnosis to Therapy (2nd Edition))
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