According to a story from businesswire.com, the biopharmaceutical company Ipsen recently presented a total of 9 study abstracts at the recent 18th annual conference of the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS). One of the most significant were the results from its phase II clinical trial which investigated a doubled dose of lanreotide autogel. This study demonstrated that quality of life was maintained despite the increased dose in patients living with neuroendocrine tumors. 

About Neuroendocrine Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors are atypical growths of tissue that usually originate in the cells of either the nervous system or the endocrine system, the latter of which plays a major role in the circulation of various hormones. While many of these tumors are benign, some may become cancerous. The cause of these tumors is not understood, but their appearance can be a part of a number of heritable conditions, such as tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis. They most commonly appear in the intestine, pancreas, or lungs. Despite the many different variants, they share a similar appearance, produce biogenic amines and hormones, and have secretory granules. These tumors do not have universal symptoms and they generally vary depending on where they appear. There are a variety of therapies that may be attempted to treat neuroendocrine tumors. These include surgery, chemotherapy, certain targeted therapies, radionuclide therapy, and cryoablation, just to name a few. To learn more about neuroendocrine tumors, click here.

Findings

In the trial, patients living with either midgut or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors were treated with double the normal dose of lanreotide autogel; this double dose consisted of 120 mg every 14 days. These patients had all seen disease progression when using the normal dose level. Quality of life was evaluated using a questionnaire covering challenges associated with self-care, mobility, anxiety/depression, usual activities, and pain/discomfort. The questionnaire included questions that were specific to cancer and neuroendocrine tumors.

No new major safety concerns were detected and the results from the questionnaire indicated no major decrease in patients’ perceived quality of life. These findings indicate that a double dose could be a safe and useful option in patients who no longer see benefit from the typical dose of lanreotide autogel.