CNETS Singapore Presents New Webinar Series Featuring Neuroendocrine Cancer Experts

The Carcinoid & Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (CNETS) of Singapore is embarking on a series of webinars on various topics related to the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine cancers. With the support of a grant from Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, the webinars will take place in front of a small group of interested patients, family caregivers, physicians and other healthcare professionals and will be webcast globally to a wide audience. According to William Claxton, President and a Co-Founder of CNETS Singapore, “Thought-provoking topics for the series are being selected to include important updates from around the world.”

On March 20 two recordings were made at the 5th Biennial Congress of the Asian-Pacific Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. The Congress featured expert speakers including top practitioners, opinion leaders, and researchers. Talks by Dr. Palepu Jagannath on “Surgical Approaches to NETs Liver Metastases” and Dr. Jaswinder Singh Samra on “Resecting Pancreatic NET Primaries” were recorded and can be viewed here: https://itr8.wistia.com/projects/4eujigyhr0.

Palepu Jagannath, MDDuring his presentation at the Congress Dr. Palepu Jagannath talked about the importance of disease classification and a multidisciplinary approach. He discussed the many factors that determine the best treatment for a patient including functioning vs. nonfunctioning tumors, grade of tumors, size and status of tumors, extent and distribution of liver metastases, and quality of life. He encourages surgeons to debulk tumors rather than aim for RO (no residual disease) types of resection. Dr. Jagannath also discussed using therapies such as SST-receptor antagonists and Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) for managing many Grade 1 neuroendocrine tumors and advised surgeons to be more selective in taking such cases.

Dr. Palepu Jagannath on
Dr. Jagannath  is currently Chairman of the Department of Surgical Oncology at Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai, India, and Professor of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Asian Institute of Oncology, S.L. Raheja Hospital in Mumbai. He serves as President of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association and is also active in the Asia Pacific Neurendocrine Tumor Society. He has the largest number of gastrointestinal and pancreatic NET patients in India and initiated the Asia Pacific Neuroendocrine Tumor registry. He is on the advisory board of ENETS, the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society.

Jaswinder Singh Samra, MDDr. Jaswinder Singh Samra’s presentation focused on the benefits of surgery for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) and the considerable debate about how physicians should proceed when there is lymph node involvement. He stressed the difference between functioning and nonfunctioning PNETs and how they should be treated. Location of pancreatic NETs, in the head or the tail, also influences surgeons’ decisions whether or not to resect the tumors. Dr. Samra also touched upon the information that dotatate scanning provides versus octreoscans, and chemotherapy for PNET patients in the forms of sunitinib and everolimus. In conclusion, all treatments for pancreatic NET patients is a balancing act.

PNETs, Lymph Nodes, and SEER Data

Dr. Samra is Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney in Australia and consultant general surgeon with an interest in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary surgery at the Royal North Shore Hospital and Ryde Hospitals in Sydney, NSW Australia.
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International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance (INCA)The Carcinoid Cancer Foundation and CNETS Singapore are both members of the International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance (INCA), along with neuroendocrine cancer patient advocate and patient organizations from Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and other US organizations. It is CCF’s pleasure to share information about the work of our INCA colleagues in support of the global neuroendocrine cancer community. For further information about INCA and NET Cancer Day, please visit www.netcancerday.org.

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