Introduction: Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (PanNENs) are characterized by a highly heterogeneous clinical and biological behavior, making their diagnosis challenging. PanNENs diagnostic work-up mainly relies on biochemical markers, pathological examination, and imaging evaluation. The latter includes radiological imaging (i.e. computed tomography [CT] and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]), functional imaging (i.e. 68Gallium [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT and Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose [18F]FDG PET/CT), and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with its associated procedures.
Areas covered: This review provides a comprehensive assessment of the recent advancements in the PanNENs diagnostic field. PubMed and Embase databases were used for the research, performed from inception to October 2023.
Expert opinion: A deeper understanding of PanNENs biology, recent technological improvements in imaging modalities, as well as progresses achieved in molecular and cytological assays, are fundamental players for the achievement of early diagnosis and enhanced preoperative characterization of PanNENs. A multimodal diagnostic approach is required for a thorough disease assessment.
Keywords: CE-EUS; EUS-E; NETest; PanNENs; [18F]FDG PET; [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-peptide PET; biomarkers; diagnostic work-up; molecular signatures; radiomics.