Molecular biology of neuroendocrine tumors

Professional as well as patient-oriented societies have contributed significantly to the development of understanding and management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors. The European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) has been an icebreaker for the development of guidelines and classification systems for these heterogeneous tumors and has been followed by other international societies such as the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS), Asia Pacific Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (AP-NET), and Latin American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (LANETS). All international societies have contributed to (specific) guidelines with specific twists for their own region. The development of an accreditation system for centers of excellence by the ENETS has significantly improved the management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Patient organization societies have been very important support groups for the professional societies and also significantly contributed to the increased knowledge about these diseases among patients with NETs. Further development of collaboration between the different societies will be of clear benefit to patients with neuroendocrine tumors and contribute to development of new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015.