Biomarkers have been the mainstay in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) over the last few decades. In the beginning, secretory products from a variety of subtypes of NETs were regarded as biomarkers to follow during diagnosis and treatment: serotonin for small intestinal (SI) NETs, and gastrin and insulin for pancreatic NETs. However, it became evident that a large number of NETs were so-called nonfunctioning tumors without secreting substances that caused hormone-related symptoms. Therefore, it was necessary to develop so-called “general tumor markers.” The most important ones so far have been chromogranin A and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Chromogranin A is the most important general biomarker for most NETs with a sensitivity and specificity somewhere between 60 and 90%. NSE has been a relevant biomarker for patients with high-grade tumors, particularly lung and gastrointestinal tract tumors. Serotonin and the breakdown product urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (U-5-HIAA) is still an important marker for diagnosing and follow-up of SI NETs. Recently, 5-HIAA in plasma has been analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorometric detection and has shown good agreement with U-5-HIAA analysis. In the future, we will see new tests including circulating tumor cells, circulating DNA and mRNA. Recently, a NET test has been developed analyzing gene transcripts in circulating blood. Preliminary data indicate high sensitivity and specificity for NETs. However, its precise role has to be validated in prospective randomized controlled trials which are ongoing right now.

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Blood loss and bleeding complications may often be observed in critically ill patients on renal replacement therapies (RRT). Here we investigate procedural (i.e. RRT-related) and non-procedural blood loss as well as transfusion requirements in regard to the chosen mode of dialysis (i.e. intermittent haemodialysis [IHD] versus continuous veno-venous haemofiltration [CVVH]). Two hundred and fifty-two patients (122 CVVH, 159 male; aged 61.5±13.9 years) with dialysis-dependent acute renal failure were analysed in a sub-analysis of the prospective randomised controlled clinical trial-CONVINT-comparing IHD and CVVH. Bleeding complications including severity of bleeding and RRT-related blood loss were assessed. We observed that 3.6% of patients died related to severe bleeding episodes (between group P=0.94). Major all-cause bleeding complications were observed in 23% IHD versus 26% of CVVH group patients (P=0.95). Under CVVH, the rate of RRT-related blood loss events (57.4% versus 30.4%, P=0.01) and mean total blood volume lost was increased (222.3±291.9 versus 112.5±222.7 ml per patient, P <0.001). Overall, transfusion rates did not differ between the study groups. In patients with sepsis, transfusion rates of all blood products were significantly higher when compared to cardiogenic shock (all P <0.01) or other conditions. In conclusion, procedural and non-procedural blood loss may often be observed in critically ill patients on RRT. In CVVH-treated patients, procedural blood loss was increased but overall transfusion rates remained unchanged. Our data show that IHD and CVVH may be regarded as equivalent approaches in critically ill patients with dialysis-dependent acute renal failure in this regard.

Background: LAN and TMZ are among the main therapies recommended for progressive TNETs but prospective data are lacking. We present safety and efficacy outcomes of this combination in progressive TNETs.Methods: ATLANT was a 12-month, phase II, multicentre, single-arm, open-label study. Eligible patients had unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, well-differentiated TNETs (bronchial or thymic, typical or atypical carcinoid) with baseline radiological progression (RECIST v1.1) in the previous 12 months. Patients received subcutaneous LAN 120 mg and oral TMZ 250 mg/day over 5 days, every 28 days. Primary endpoint: disease control rate (DCR) at 9 months (RECIST v1.1 complete response, partial response or stable disease [clinically relevant: 30%, unacceptable: 10%]). Data were analysed using exact binomial proportion tests for one-way tables.