New NET national guidelines launched
10 November 2023
Peter Mac specialists in neuroendocrine tumours (NET) have contributed to new national consensus guidelines for treating patients with these uncommon cancers.
The new guidelines point to the array of multidisciplinary management options - including supportive care - which may benefit NET patients.
Developed and published by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA), the new guidelines are highlighted today to mark World NET Cancer Day.
Neuroendocrine tumours are a wide-ranging group of uncommon tumours that develop from neuroendocrine cells.
They can occur anywhere in the body but common sites are the small intestine, pancreas, lungs, appendix and rectum.
“People with neuroendocrine tumours often face a very complex landscape, with unusual treatments, challenging symptoms and an uncertain outlook,” says Kate Wakelin, a Peter Mac-based NET Clinical Nurse Consultant and part of the NET Service.
“Comprehensive care, provided by a multidisciplinary team, encompassing evidence-based disease management as well as supportive care is critical in enabling these patients to achieve the best possible outcomes.”
In addition to Kate, Peter Mac contributors to the new guidelines include doctors Catherine Mitchell, William Murray, Hyun Ko, Ben Thomson, Phil Chan and Erin Laing, and co-chairs of the NET Service Associate Professor Grace Kong and Professor Michael Michael.
The NET Service is a multidisciplinary team of NET specialists from Peter Mac, and Royal Melbourne Hospital, which consults on over 150 new NET patients each year from across Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia.
