It is a great honour to have been invited to take on the Chair of the NCRI NET sub-group. Under the leadership of Juan Valle, the previous Chair, the group has gone from strength to strength and built an impressive national trial portfolio. During that period the UK has made major contributions to practice changing trials including Clarinet, Radiant 4 and the Netter trial but establishing a portfolio of academic trials has been more challenging due to lack of funding. Priorities for the next few years include expanding the portfolio with scientifically rich, proof-of-concept academic trials in NETs and working closely with the UKINETS Research Committee to achieve this.
Developing trials in understudied NET sub-groups such as bronchial, rectal and appendicieal tumours will also be encouraged and we will continue to develop and validate quality of life tools. I am particularly keen to encourage trainees and junior investigators to join the group and ensure that the next generation of clinical investigators are established. As always, I will value the ongoing contributions of the NET patient foundation who’s members provide critical representation of the wider NET patient community.
