Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a group of rare malignancies that can be located in different parts of the body. The most common localizations are the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Most neuroendocrine tumors grow slowly and often cause no symptoms for a long time. This doesn’t take away the fact that all neuroendocrine neoplasms are prone to healthy tissues invasion and metastasizing.
How treatment of NET tumors in Germany is carried out?
A neuroendocrine cancer isn’t a sentence. Modern medicine successfully manages such malignant neoplasms of different localization. Treatment of neuroendocrine tumors in Germany is based on a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and therapy, with different options available for the treatment of NET tumors.
Surgical removal of the tumor remains one of the main interventions for getting rid of neuroendocrine cancer. Usually, surgeons carry out resection of the whole malignant tumor. The surgical treatment may vary depending on the characteristics of the tumor.
If it is impossible to remove a neoplasm from the body, aggressive chemotherapy drugs are needed to kill malignant cells. Such drugs harm healthy tissues as well, but help cope with the disease and prolong life. In some cases, targeted therapy is used instead of chemotherapy. This method of treatment helps to target altered cells if the neuroendocrine neoplasm has enough molecular targets.
Besides, clinical studies have demonstrated that neuroendocrine tumors are composed of cells with receptors for somatostatin. Drug treatment with somatostatin analogs helps improve the quality of life in about 70% of patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
Radionuclide treatment is an innovative therapy, which helps reduce the size of the neoplasm, suppresses its manifestations related to the hormonal activity, and improves the patient’s quality of life. The essence of this treatment is the use of a special transport molecule capable of interacting with receptors on the surface of the tumor cell, and a radioactive substance (Lutetium-177) attached to it, which reaches the tumor and destroys both the tumor and the metastases.
The main treatment of neuroendocrine tumors is necessarily supplemented by symptomatic therapy to improve the general condition and relieve unpleasant side effects patients may experience. After the completion of the main course of therapy, patients should undergo rehabilitation.
Lutetium therapy for NETs
Let’s go a little more in-depth regarding what Lutetium therapy is all about. So, the primary radioactive substance, i.e. Lutetium-177, belongs to the group of radiopharmaceuticals. The substance is bound to a specific protein molecule, which is able to recognize cancer cells, come in contact with them, and destroy them.
Therapy with Lutetium-177 for neuroendocrine tumors makes it possible to reduce the size of the tumor, alleviate the course of the disease, control its spread (metastasizing), improve the patient’s condition, relieve pain, as well as achieve long-term remission in eligible patients. Even patients with advanced neuroendocrine cancer tolerate the treatment much easier than traditional chemotherapy.
Therapy with Lutetium-177 is carried out only in some countries with developed medicine, such as Germany, where the latest treatment methods are used, qualified specialists work, and the most complex procedures are performed.
How to undergo treatment in Germany during a lockdown?
The majority of German hospitals admit foreign patients for treatment, although some hospitals report that they stop considering requests from patients from abroad for the period of the lockdown. Coming for treatment to these hospitals is possible in urgent medical cases (urgent diagnosis, cancer care, etc.), the postponement of which can pose or is already posing threat to the life and health of the patient.
Booking Health provides you with the selection of the best hospitals for the treatment of NET tumors in Germany, all of which accept foreign patients for cancer care. However, it is important to know the latest lockdown rules when organizing the treatment in Germany and relevant information on the quarantine requirements. Booking Health will help you with all of that and organize the whole treatment, so you don’t have to stress over it.
All you need to do to start therapy with Lutetium-177 for neuroendocrine tumors is to fill in the request form on the Booking Health website, and wait for a medical advisor to contact you.
DISCLAIMER: TNT Magazine is not a medical professional nor affiliated with any medical profession, as such any advice must be treated as non-verified medial information and independent advice should be taken in addition to any insights gained from this article.
