Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors originating in various locations, including the gastrointestinal tract, lung, and pancreas. The disease management poses a significant challenge because of the heterogeneous clinical presentations and varying degrees of aggressiveness. The recent completion of several phase III trials, including those evaluating octreotide, sunitinib, and everolimus, demonstrate that rigorous evaluation of novel agents in this disease is possible and can lead to practice-changing outcomes. Nevertheless, there are many aspects to the treatment of NETs that remain unclear and controversial.

The North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) was founded in 2006 and at that time its board members convened a Consensus Guidelines Committee in an effort to develop an expert consensus opinion on the treatment of these uncommon diseases. Though other comprehensive guidelines exist (i.e. NCCN Neuroendocrine Tumor Guidelines, European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETs) Guidelines), it was felt that the NANETS guidelines could enhance and complement these existing guidelines through the use of expert opinion added to evidenced-based recommendations.   For more information on the management of NETS, go to Consensus Guidelines for the Management and Treatment.