29 July 2025

Velindre Cancer Service has commenced a new service for patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs), offering local treatment with a specialist form of targeted radionuclide therapy.

As part of the South Wales NET Service, a European NET Society (ENETS) Centre of Excellence, Velindre Cancer Service has begun delivering Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT), which is a cutting-edge nuclear medicine treatment for patients with neuroendocrine tumours.

This new clinical service means that adult patients from across south and mid Wales will no longer need to travel to the Royal Free Hospital in London for this specialised therapy and can now have their treatment in Wales.

One of the first patients to receive PRRT said:

“I am pleased with how wonderful all the staff were during my treatment – they were really reassuring, professional and kind. It was such a relief to have the treatment locally rather than having to travel to London.”

PRRT is a form of Molecular Radiotherapy (MRT) and involves the intravenous administration of a radioactive pharmaceutical which target areas of disease by binding to receptors on the tumour cells.

Once within the tumour cells, the radioactivity delivers a highly localised radiation dose to the tumour while minimising radiation dose to normal tissues. A full course of treatment usually consists of four administrations of the radiopharmaceutical with eight-week intervals.

Dr Carys Morgan, Divisional Medical Director of Velindre Cancer Service, said:

“It is really exciting to be able to deliver this treatment locally for patients in Wales and great to see our Molecular Radiotherapy services developing. It is a real multi-disciplinary effort to deliver this specialist treatment and I hope we can now expand our service further with clinical trial options and access to new therapies in the future.”

NETs are a rare and diverse group of cancers which arise from neuroendocrine cells, which are specialised cells found throughout the body. These tumours most commonly develop in the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and lungs, but they can occur in many other organs.

Dr Matthew Talboys, Head of Nuclear Medicine at the Velindre Cancer Service: (Website) (Intranet)

“I am so proud of our Nuclear Medicine Team in being able to deliver PRRT to patients within Wales and provide their care closer to home. As part of the multi-disciplinary team, as well as expert project management support, we have successfully delivered the first administration of PRRT.”

In the UK, around 6,000 people are diagnosed with NETs every year. Due to their rarity and the often-non-specific nature of symptoms, diagnosis can sometimes be delayed, making access to timely and specialised treatment all the more important.