Should everolimus be stopped after radiological progression in metastatic insulinoma? A "cons" point of view.

ABSTRACT

Insulinoma is a rare pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) potentially associated with severe hypoglycaemic crisis. The great majority of these tumors are benign. In patients with metastatic malignant insulinoma, systemic therapies aim to control both the syndrome and tumor growth. Everolimus is a drug approved for the management of advanced pNETs that can achieve both these goals. According to international guidelines and regulatory authorities, everolimus in patients with pNET should be continued until the demonstration of disease progression with standard radiologic imaging techniques. The drug is neither recommended nor authorized beyond progression. This could not be the case of advanced insulinoma patients since the antineoplastic and the glycaemic effects of everolimus seem to follow independent mechanisms. The authors present here their point of view in favor of continuing everolimus beyond progression in symptomatic insulinoma patients on the basis of a robust rationale and describing a case.