••• What is the SAUNA study?
The SAUNA study is an international clinical trial investigating the benefits of continuing hormone therapy with somatostatin analogs (SSA) after the growth of a non-functional (hormonally inactive) neuroendocrine tumor (NET) in the stomach, intestines, or pancreas.
More information about the SAUNA study can be found here.
••• Why was the SAUNA study initiated?
For patients with a NET of the stomach, intestines, or pancreas, hormone therapy with SSA is usually the first treatment when the disease can no longer be cured. This treatment is typically continued for life in patients with a functional (hormonally active) NET. However, for patients with a non-functional (hormonally inactive) NET, it is currently unclear whether it is beneficial to continue SSA treatment after the disease has worsened following an initial SSA treatment.
When disease progression is observed after SSA treatment, a second-line therapy can be initiated. The treating physician, in consultation with the patient, can choose one of the two common forms of second-line therapy: radionuclide therapy (also known as PRRT – peptide receptor radionuclide therapy) or targeted therapy (Afinitor/everolimus or Sutent/sunitinib).
Since it is currently unclear whether it is beneficial to continue SSA treatment in patients with a non-functional NET who are treated with a second-line therapy, the SAUNA study was initiated. So far, no targeted research has been conducted in this area. If the study finds that it is not beneficial for the patient to continue the expensive SSA injections, this can then be adopted into daily clinical practice.
••• Collaboration between Belgium and the Netherlands
The SAUNA study was initiated by the University Hospital Antwerp (UZA) and the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam (Erasmus MC) and received ethical approval on May 4, 2023. This research is funded with the support of BeNeFit, a joint subsidy project between the Belgian Federal Knowledge Center for Healthcare (KCE) and the Dutch organization ZonMw. The study will take place in 20 hospitals in Belgium and the Netherlands, aiming to include a total of 270 patients. Thanks to this collaboration, enough patients can participate in the study to obtain reliable research results.
••• Status of the study
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Participating hospitals
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