Once-Monthly Somatostatin Analogue Increases Overall Survival in Carcinoid Syndrome

Main Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology
Article Date: 16 May 2005 - 17:00 PDT

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A once-monthly somatostatin analogue, octreotide LAR, has been shown to nearly double survival time for patients with carcinoid syndrome, according to data presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

These data, presented by Lowell Anthony, MD, of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, suggest that carcinoid syndrome patients treated with once-monthly octreotide LAR have a 66 percent lower risk of death compared to those who received three daily injections of octreotide.

"These are exciting results for the many carcinoid syndrome patients who had been inconvenienced in their personal and professional lives because of frequent daily treatments. We now have evidence that suggests the outcomes are improved with monthly dosing," said Lowell Anthony, MD, medical oncologist, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. "A transition to a long-acting treatment approach, such as octreotide LAR, can eliminate the need for multiple daily injections and help patients live both better and longer."

Located in the digestive system, carcinoid tumors tend to grow slowly and are clinically silent, meaning patients may not experience any initial symptoms. However, some of these tumors produce excess serotonin, causing a state known as carcinoid syndrome, which is characterized by severe and debilitating diarrhea, asthma-like wheezing attacks and hot red flushing of the face.

Carcinoid syndrome can severely impact a person's day-to-day life and be life-threatening. The severe diarrhea can consist of more than 12 episodes per day, causing debilitation due to depletion of vital fluids, electrolytes and proteins. Common treatments include surgery to remove the tumors and drug therapies to control tumor growth, hormone secretion and related symptoms.

The study compared survival in 90 carcinoid syndrome patients treated with three times daily octreotide from 1986 to 1995 to 145 patients treated with once-monthly octreotide LAR between 1996 and 2004. It found that those treated with octreotide LAR survived an average of 229 months compared to 143 months for those on standard octreotide.

Similar to somatostatin, a naturally occurring hormone, octreotide is used to control symptoms of carcinoid syndrome, such as diarrhea and flushing, by inhibiting the release of growth hormone and other substances such as serotonin. It can be given as a once-monthly intragluteal (buttocks) injection or three times daily subcutaneous injections.

LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans is among the nation's largest academic health centers with six professional schools and its statewide public hospital system.

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