Incidence of Neuroendocrine Tumors on the Rise

David C. Metz, MD

David C. Metz, MD, is the co-director of the Penn Neuroendocrine Tumor Treatment Program, and  associate chief for clinical affairs in the division of gastroenterology at Penn Medicine. Dr. Metz is one of the course directors for the upcoming Penn Neuroendocrine Tumor Symposium.

The incidence of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is steadily increasing. There are more than 100,000 patients with NETs alive in the United States today. In terms of just gastrointestinal cancers, NETs are second only to colorectal cancer in frequency.

 
That is why it is my absolute pleasure to inform you of Penn Medicine’s Neuroendocrine Tumor (NET) Symposium, a CME-certified course*, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9 on the Penn campus. 

Penn Medicine’s NET program has been designed to provide excellent state-of-the-art diagnosis and management of patients with gastrointestinal NETs, including alimentary tract carcinoids or pancreatic NETs, as well as pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas.

Most practicing clinicians can expect to encounter patients with NETs.  NETs present in a remarkably varied manner because they may:

• Arise in multiple different primary sites.
• Be functional or non functional (functional syndromes also vary significantly between patients).
• Have variable biological behavior which is difficult to predict.

Many tumors also arise as a component of an inherited syndrome such as MEN-1 or 2 or one of the phacomatoses (neurocutaneous syndromes).  The management of localized disease is primarily surgical, but commonly patients present with metastases requiring a multidisciplinary approach for effective long-term management.

This CME course has been designed to demonstrate the broad expertise available at Penn Medicine as well as to provide in-depth lectures on all the various disciplines involved in the management of NET patients.   This will be an excellent learning experience for physicians, extenders, nurses and trainees.  We hope to provide a general algorithm for the management of these often complex and difficult to treat and diagnosis patients.  Hopefully, you will be able to join us.

Where: Biomedical Research Building II/III, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA

When: Friday, September 9, 2011, 7:30 am (Continental breakfast); 8 am to 5 pm (education session)

How to register: Registration forms may be mailed or faxed to the CME Office with payment or register (fee only) on-line at http://cme.med.upenn.edu/eventinfo_7853.html. Click on CME Activities/Live Events.

Designation of credit: The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania designates this live activity for a maximum of 7.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Download the Penn Neuroendocrine Tumor CME Symposium Brochure.

* Accreditation:  The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.