Successful Management of Recurrent Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of theSphenoid Sinus Using Octreotide LAR: A Case Report

Abstract

Overexpression of somatostatin (SST) receptors detected in most neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis of NECs. Inhibition of SST receptors with SST analogues has been proved to be effective in various types of neuroendocrine tumors. We present here a case report of a 59-year-old female with recurrent sphenoidal NEC treated with SST analogues Octreotide and Octreotide long-acting release (LAR) as a salvage therapy. Improvement of optic nerve compression and quality of life (QOL) were observed along with a 77 months of progression free survival. This result suggests that OCT/OCT LAR may be a new approach to treating advanced NECs of the paranasal sinuses.