Lanreotide Depot to Treat Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors in a US Community Oncology Setting: A Prospective, Observational Study.

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are rare tumors that develop in the gut or pancreas. GEP-NETs may lead to a reduced lifespan, and people with GEP-NETs may have symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, diarrhea, stomach pain/cramping, and skin reactions. One approved treatment for patients whose tumor cannot be removed with surgery is lanreotide depot. Clinical trials have found lanreotide depot to be effective at prolonging survival and managing symptoms in people with GEP-NETs. However, clinical trials take place under very strict conditions and often do not represent all people with a certain disease in the 'real world'. It is important to determine whether treatments are still effective when used outside of clinical trials. This study was conducted in the real world and followed 99 people with GEP-NETs whose physicians were treating them with lanreotide depot. Each person was monitored for 24 months and assessed during check-ups by their physician every 6 months. After 24 months, 73.7% of people did not have progression (worsening) of disease. The percentage of people who had not died by the end of the study was 84.2%. Most patients (91.6%) said they were satisfied with their treatment. Only 19.2% of patients experienced side effects, none of which were serious.