Wherever possible, surgery is the preferred treatment as it is the best way to get rid of the tumour completely if it hasn’t spread.
If the GEP-NET can’t be completely removed, you might still have surgery to help reduce the tumour and relieve some of the symptoms it is causing.1,2
There are different surgeries for different GEP-NETs. Your doctor will talk to other specialists in what is known as a MDT (multidisciplinary team) so that each expert can advise on the best way forward. This will depend on where the tumour is, what it looks like (is it a small and self-contained? Are the cells mostly normal or very abnormal?), and whether it has spread.2
REFERENCES:
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NHS. Neuroendocrine tumours. Available at:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/neuroendocrine-tumours/ Last accessed September 2020.
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CRUK. Surgery types. Available at:https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/neuroendocrine-tumours-nets/treatment/surgery/types. Last accessed September 2020.