Treatment of Metastatic Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

Distant metastases

Treatment of distant metastases of gastrointestinal (GI) neuroendocrine tumors is usually palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Treatment may include the following:

• Surgery (resection) to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
• Hormone therapy.
• Radiopharmaceutical therapy.
• External radiation therapy for cancer that has spread to the bone, brain, or spinal cord.
• A clinical trial of a new treatment.

Liver metastases

Treatment of cancer that has spread to the liver may include the following:

• Surgery (local excision) to remove the tumor from the liver.
• Hepatic artery embolization.
• Cryosurgery.
• Radiofrequency ablation.
• Liver transplant.

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.