Other tests for NETs

In this test, a flexible camera, called an endoscope will be used to examine your digestive tract. This flexible fibre-optic tube will be inserted down the back of the throat (gastroscopy) or through your rectum (colonoscopy). In both cases you will be offered a sedative beforehand.

Your doctor may also order a small bowel capsule endoscopy. This involves swallowing a small capsule, about the size of a small pill, which contains a flexible camera, light source and transmitter. The camera takes six pictures every second for 8 hours, transmitting images to a small data recorder that you wear around your waist.

Endoscopy tests that may be used for diagnosing NETs include:

• Upper GI endoscopy
• Colonoscopy
• Small bowel capsule endoscopy
• Endoscopic ultrasound

If abnormal-looking tissues are found during an endoscopy test, a tissue sample can be collected during an endoscopy for a biopsy. The results can confirm whether the sample contains neuroendocrine cancer cells.

Bronchoscopy

A bronchoscopy test can be used to view the airways and diagnose lung disease, such as lung NETs. A bronchoscope will be passed through your nose and down your throat to reach your lungs. This instrument is made of a flexible fibre-optic material and has a light source and a viewing device or camera on the end.

Before the test, a local anaesthetic spray will be applied to your nose and throat. You will probably also be given a sedative to help you relax.

Lung function tests

Lung function tests, or spirometry, are a group of tests that measure how well your lungs work. These tests may involve you holding your breath before exhaling very hard into a measuring device to see how forcibly you can expel air over a short period of time.

The results are used to diagnose certain types of lung disease, such as lung NETs. They also measure the severity of other lung problems and can be used to monitor how well treatment for a particular lung disease is working.