Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Nonfunctional Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Abstract Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) may occur in a variety of forms. They may or may not be hormone-producing PNETs and may occur either sporadically or within a genetic syndrome. Behavior is predicted by both tumor grade and stage. Treatment options are influenced by clinical stage at presentation as well as by tumor grade. Guidelines for management are published outlining the approach to initial evaluation as well as for therapeutic intervention. Surgery is recommended for those patients who have resectable primary tumors and may be appropriate in the setting of metastatic disease to the liver. For those patients who are not able to undergo or are not candidates for surgery, other therapeutic options exist and are selected based on tumor characteristics.