Fishing for neuroendocrine tumors

Abstract

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a class of rare and heterogeneous neoplasms that originate from the neuroendocrine system. In several cases, these neoplasms can release bioactive hormones leading to characteristic clinical syndromes and hormonal dysregulations with detrimental impact on the quality of life and survival of these patients. Only few animal models are currently available to investigate pathogenesis, progression and functional syndromes in NETs and to identify new therapeutic strategies. The tropical teleost zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a popular vertebrate model system that offers unique advantages for the study of several biological processes, ranging from embryonic development to human diseases such as cancer. In this review, we summarize recent advances on zebrafish models for NET preclinical research that take advantage of modern genetic and transplantable technologies. In the future, these tools may have a role in the treatment decision-making and tertiary prevention of NETs.

Keywords: neuroendocrine tumors; patient-derived xenograft; tumor xenograft; zebrafish.