Imaging of Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare tumors arising from embryonic neural crest tissue that represent a wide spectrum of disease. NETs are clinically classified as functioning tumors when the tumor induces symptoms caused by hormonal hypersecretion and results in a clinical syndrome versus nonfunctioning tumors when there are no signs of hypersecretion and no recognizable clinical syndrome. Imaging plays an essential role in the diagnosis, staging, treatment selection, and follow-up of patients with NETs. The diagnosis of NETs relies on the combination of morphological and functional techniques, which provides complementary information that can be useful in optimizing patient management and outcome.