However, most patients need some form of treatment to control their symptoms and slow down the growth of the cancer. Your doctors will take many factors into account when planning your treatment, including:

• the type of NET you have, and where it is
• whether it is progressing
• the problems it may be causing you
• your age and general state of health
• your wishes.

You may be offered:

Drugs to relieve symptoms
Your doctor may offer you drugs called somatostatin receptor agonists to help treat symptoms such as hot flushes and diarrhoea. These are given as injections every few weeks. The drugs stop the NET from releasing the substances that are causing the symptoms.

Alpha Interferon
This drug is normally given as an injection, usually three times each week. It may be able to slow down the growth of the NET. Side-effects may include depression and lethargy.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses special drugs to kill cancer cells. This can be an effective way of treating some NETs. The drugs are usually given by injection. The side-effects you get will depend on the type of drug you are given.

Surgery
This may be an operation to remove some or all of the original cancer, or tumours that have spread to the liver.

Sometimes surgery is used to relieve symptoms where drugs have failed to do so.

Embolisation
The doctor puts a very thin tube into the blood vessels leading to the tumours in the liver. S/he then injects a drug into the tube. The particles block the blood supply to the tumours, which then cannot grow. This is an effective treatment but there are some side-effects, including pain and fever for a few days afterwards.

Radiofrequency ablation
The doctors may be able to pass a probe into liver tumours either through the skin or during an operation, and partially destroy the tumours.

Radiolabelled somatostatin analogue
Most NETs bind to somatostatin receptor drugs. The principle of this treatment is similar to MIBG treatment. The somatostatin analogue drug is labelled with radioactivity and injected into the vein. The tumours concentrate it and as a result they may shrink and symptoms improve. This treatment is not available in all areas of the UK.

MIBG therapy
Some NETs concentrate a chemical known as MIBG, which can be labelled with a large amount of radioactivity and used to reduce the size of tumours and improve symptoms.

Your doctors will tell you about the risks, benefits and side-effects of the treatments available to you.

You will need to agree to treatment before it can start. This is called giving your consent. Don't be afraid to ask questions if there is anything you don't understand.