Receptor depletion and recovery in small-intestinal neuroendocrine tumors and normal tissues after administration of a single intravenous dose of octreotide measured by Ga-68-DOTATOC PET/CT

• Background: Low-grade neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are characterized by an abundance of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) that can be targeted with somatostatin analogs (SSA). When activated with a single dose of SSA, the receptor-ligand complex is internalized, and the receptor is by default recycled within 24 h. Ongoing medication with long-acting SSAs at Ga-68-DOTA-SSA-PET has been shown to increase the tumor-to-normal organ contrast. This study was performed to investigate the time-dependent extended effect (7 h) of a single intravenous dose of 400 mu g short-acting octreotide on the tumor versus normal tissue uptake of Ga-68-DOTATOC.Methods: Patients with small-intestinal NETs received a single intravenous dose of 400 mu g octreotide and underwent dynamic abdominal Ga-68-DOTATOC-PET/CT at three sessions (0, 3 and 6 h) plus static whole-body (WB) PET/CT (1, 4 and 7 h), starting each PET/CT session by administering 167 +/- 21 MBq, 23.5 +/- 4.2 mu g (mean +/- SD, n = 12) of Ga-68-DOTATOC. A previously acquired clinical whole-body Ga-68-DOTATOC scan was used as baseline. SUV and net uptake rate K-i were calculated in tumors, and SUV in healthy organs.Results: Tumor SUV decreased significantly from baseline to 1 h post-injection but subsequently increased over time and became similar to baseline at 4 h and 7 h. The tumor net uptake rate, K-i, similarly increased significantly over time and showed a linear correlation both with SUV and tumor-to-blood ratio. By contrast, the uptake in liver, spleen and pancreas remained significantly below baseline levels also at 7 h and the receptor turn-over in tumors thus exceeded that in the normal tissue, with restitution of tumor Ga-68-DOTATOC uptake mainly completed at 7 h. These results however differed depending on tumor size, with significant increases in K-i and SUV between the 1st and 2nd PET, in large tumors (>= 4 mL) but not in small (> 1 to < 4 mL) tumors.Conclusion: SSTR recycling is faster in small-intestinal NETs than in liver, spleen and pancreas. This opens the possibility to protect normal tissues during PRRT by administering a single dose of cold peptide hours before peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), and most likely additionally improve the availability and uptake of the therapeutic preparation in the tumors.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Radiologi och bildbehandling (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Ga-68-DOTATOC

PET

CT

Peptide

Small-intestinal NET

Receptor internalization

SUV

K-i

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