Lastly, spheroid cultures of the pNET cell lines BON-1 and QGP-1 showed higher viability in serum-deprived culture conditions, while demonstrating more realistic tumour features such as more physiological levels of characteristic pNET markers, somatostatin and dopamine receptor expression changes (following targeted treatment) and treatment resistance when compared to monolayer cultures. The gene discussed is SST; the disease is neoplasm.