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Neuroendocrine lung tumors - current treatment options

Publication at First Faculty of Medicine |
2018

Abstract

Neuroendocrine tumors are neoplasm that arise from cell of the endocrine and nervous systems. Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors include a spectrum of tumors from the low-grade typical carcinoid and intermediate-grade atypical carcinoid to the high-grade large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and small-cell carcinoma.

The most common neuroendocrine lung tumor is SCLC, which accounts for 15-20% of invasive lung malignancies. Immunotherapy has proved to be a promising therapeutic modality in lung cancer well.

Treatment with the blockade of immune checkpoints involves monoclonal antibodies blocking CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen) and antibodies blocking the PD-1 receptor (programmed cell death membrane protein) and its ligand PD-L1.