Systemic treatment for lung carcinoids: from bench to bedside

In the huge spectrum of lung neuroendocrine neoplasms, typical and atypical carcinoids should be considered as a separate biological entity from poorly differentiated forms, harboring peculiar molecular alterations. Despite their indolent behavior, lung carcinoids correlate with a worse survival. To date, only limited therapeutic options are available and novel drugs are strongly needed. In this work, we extensively reviewed scientific literature exploring available therapeutic options, new molecular targets and future perspectives in the management of well differentiated neoplasms of bronchopulmonary tree. Systemic therapy represents the main option in advanced and unresectable disease; accepted choices are somatostatin analogs, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, everolimus and chemotherapy. To date, an univocal treatment strategy has not been identified yet, thus tailored therapeutic algorithms should consider treatment efficacy as well as safety profiles. Several molecular alterations found in carcinoid tumors might act as molecular targets leading to development of new therapeutic options. Further studies are necessary to identify new potential “druggable” molecular targets in the selected subset of low-grade lung carcinoids. Furthermore, evaluating the available therapies in more homogeneous population might improve their efficacy through a perfect tailoring of treatment options.