Neuroendocrine lung tumors – current treatment options

06/2018

MUDr. Markéta Černovská

Pneumologická klinika 1. LF UK a Thomayerovy nemocnice, Praha

SUMMARY

Neuroendocrine tumors are neoplasm that arise from cell of the endocrine and nervous systems. Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors include a spectrum of tumors from the low-grade typical carcinoid and intermediate-grade atypical carcinoid to the high-grade large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and small-cell carcinoma. The most common neuroendocrine lung tumor is SCLC, which accounts for 15-20% of invasive lung malignancies. Immunotherapy has proved to be a promising therapeutic modality in lung cancer well. Treatment with the blockade of immune checkpoints involves monoclonal antibodies blocking CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen) and antibodies blocking the PD-1 receptor (programmed cell death membrane protein) and its ligand PD-L1.

KEY WORDS

neuroendocrine tumors, carcinoid, smal-cell carcinoma, large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, immunotherapy