Neuroendocrine tumors – referred to as NETS, and carcinoid tumors begin in neuroendocrine cells and almost always appear in many different areas of the body. They are often found in the gastrointestinal tract, but also in the pancreas, liver, lungs, and brain. According to an article in Pubmed, the incidence of neuroendocrine cancer has been increasing worldwide from 2.48 to 5.86 per hundred thousand but this apparent increase may be due to better diagnosis of this relatively rare and intractable cancer. In the USA about 12, 000 people are diagnosed each year. Treatment approaches are varied, and dependent in part on where the tumors are located. For those with advanced disease, the options are not many.
The National Cancer Institute, part of the NIH, sponsored a phase 3 clinical trial called the CABINET trial, as reported in Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation, which led in March 2025 to the approval of Cabozantinib. The study was led by Jennifer Chan, MD, MPH clinical director of the program in carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
She is quoted in a press release from the Dana Faber Cancer Institute, “Despite advances in recent years, there has remained a critical need for new and effective therapies for patients whose cancer has grown or spread. Cabozantinib significantly improved outcomes in this patient population and the FDA approval provides new hope.” The patients in the study had all been previously treated for NETS, and/or for advanced disease both in the pancreas and outside the pancreas.
Cabozantinib has previously been utilized for some types of liver and kidney cancer as well as certain thyroid cancers
The drug is an oral kinase inhibitor which makes it easier to take and appears to target multiple pathways to stop tumor growth and spread.
Sources:
- The Dana Farber Cancer Institute
- Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation
- National Library of Medicine – National Center for Biotechnology Information
- Cancer Connect
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CABINET trial Clinical Trials Neuroendocrine Cancer neuroendocrine tumors
Last modified: April 9, 2025
