Expert Neuroendocrine Care,
Close to Home
For patients diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor, our specialists will be with you every step of the way.
At the Ochsner Cancer Care Institute, you’ll find an experienced team of experts who collaborate across medical and surgical specialties to serve patients with all forms of neuroendocrine tumors, also called carcinoid tumors.
Thousands of patients have traveled from across the county and the globe to receive the specialized care provided by our team. Our program not only offers expert physicians but also includes an integrated team of specialists focused on supporting all your needs throughout your cancer journey.
For patients diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor, our specialists will be with you every step of the way.
At the Ochsner Cancer Care Institute, you’ll find an experienced team of experts who collaborate across medical and surgical specialties to serve patients with all forms of neuroendocrine tumors, also called carcinoid tumors.
Thousands of patients have traveled from across the county and the globe to receive the specialized care provided by our team. Our program not only offers expert physicians but also includes an integrated team of specialists focused on supporting all your needs throughout your cancer journey.
Schedule a virtual or in-person appointment with a cancer specialist
Expert Neuroendocrine Care, Close to Home
Specialized Neuroendocrine Tumor Care
We have consulted with over
NET patients.
4,000
Our Approach
How is Neuroendocrine Tumor Cancer Treated?
A neuroendocrine tumor (NET) is a rare hormone-producing tumor that can originate anywhere in the body, but which most frequently occurs in the lungs or the GI tract. Some NETs are benign, but most are slow-growing carcinoid tumors, making them difficult to diagnose.
Patients may present with vague symptoms such as flushing, diarrhea, palpitations, cardiac disease or wheezing.
The Ochsner Neuroendocrine Tumor Program is one of the largest NET programs in the country and a leader in NET diagnosis and management.
What Is a Neuroendocrine Tumor?
We offer innovative treatments that can reduce the number and size of neuroendocrine tumors. They can also reduce the severity of symptoms and syndromes associated with the tumors.
Get Access to Advanced Treatment Options
We Take a Collaborative Approach
Our multidisciplinary approach means you have an entire network of specialists to lean on. Our team includes gastroenterologists, interventional radiologists, medical oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, hepatobiliary surgeons, surgical oncologists and transplant surgeons. Patients benefit from weekly tumor boards, a collaborative approach to planning treatments and evaluating decisions.
We have treated patients from across the United States and abroad.
Online Patient Portal
Use MyOchsner to access more appointment times, view your test results and request refills — all from your phone.
Offering virtual second opinion visits with our experienced team of experts.
Virtual Visits and Online Scheduling
Find and schedule the next available appointment online. You can even choose a virtual visit if that works best for you.
Hematologist Ryan Griffin, MD, explains the multidisciplinary nature of Ochsner’s NETs program.
- Surgery
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Most localized NETs are successfully treated with surgery alone. The surgeon will remove the tumor and some surrounding healthy tissue, called a margin, during an operation.
- Debulking Surgery
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When completely removing the tumor is not possible, "debulking surgery" is sometimes recommended. Debulking surgery removes as much of the tumor as possible. This approach may provide some relief from symptoms but requires careful monitoring to detect new growth.
- Somatostatin Analogs
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Somatostatin is a hormone in the body that controls the release of several other hormones, such as insulin. Somatostatin analogs are drugs that are used to control the symptoms created by the hormone-like substances released by a NET. They may also slow the growth of a NET, although they do not generally shrink the tumors.
- Chemotherapy
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Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells, usually by keeping the cancer cells from growing, dividing and making more cells. Chemotherapy for a NET may be used when the tumor has spread from where it started to other organs, if the tumor is causing severe symptoms, or if hormonal therapies or targeted therapies are no longer working.
- Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy
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Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy is administered through an IV over the course of four infusions approximately eight weeks apart. This form of treatment can increase a patient’s survival rate and improve their quality of life. While this therapy is generally well tolerated, common side effects can include nausea, vomiting and fatigue.
- Radiation
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Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy X-rays or other particles to destroy tumor cells. The most common type of radiation treatment for a NET is called external-beam radiation therapy, which is radiation given from a machine outside the body.
- Liver-Directed Therapies
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Neuroendocrine cancer often spreads to the liver, and liver-directed therapies may be used to treat liver metastasis where surgical removal would be too risky or when a patient is too sick to tolerate the surgery. Hepatic arterial embolization, for example, blocks or slows the flow of blood through the hepatic artery to deprive the tumor of the oxygen and nutrients it needs to grow.
- Liver Transplantation
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Liver transplantation is a treatment option for patients with metastases confined to the liver.
"The team’s aggressive monitoring gave me peace of mind."
Rachel M.
“Once I got here, I knew that I was getting the best care. The team is so caring and knowledgeable.”
John A.
Our Locations
Ochsner Medical Center
1516 Jefferson Hwy., New Orleans, LA 70121
Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner
180 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner, LA 70065
The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center
1515 River Road, Jefferson, LA 70121
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