Time Evolution of DOTATOC Uptake in Neuroendocrine Tumors in View of a Possible Application of Radioguided Surgery with β- Decay.

Abstract

UNLABELLED:

A novel radioguided surgery (RGS) technique exploiting β- radiation has been proposed. To develop such a technique, a suitable radiotracer able to deliver a β- emitter to the tumor has to be identified. A first candidate is represented by 90Y-labeled DOTATOC, a compound commonly used today for peptide radioreceptor therapy. The application of this β- RGS to neuroendocrine tumors (NET) requires study of the uptake of DOTATOC and its time evolution both in tumors and in healthy organs and evaluation of the corresponding performance of the technique.

METHODS:

Uptake by lesions and healthy organs (kidneys, spleen, liver and healthy muscle) was estimated on 177Lu-DOTATOC SPECT/CT scans of 15 patients affected by NET with different localizations, treated at IRCCS-Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy. For each patient, SPECT/CT images, acquired at 0.5, 4, 20, 40, and 70 h after injection, were studied. For each lesion, the tumor-to-nontumor ratio (TNR) with respect to all healthy organs and its time evolution were studied. A subset of patients showing hepatic lesions was selected, and the TNR with respect to the nearby healthy tissue was calculated. By means of a Monte Carlo simulation of the probe for β- RGS, the activity that is to be administered for a successful detection was estimated lesion-by-lesion.

RESULTS:

Uptake of DOTATOC on NETs maximized at about 24 h after injection. The cases of hepatic lesions showed a TNR with respect to the tumor margins compatible with the application of β- RGS. In particular, 0.1-mL residuals are expected to be detectable within 1 s with 5% false-negative and 1% false-positive by administering the patient as little as 1 MBq/kg.

CONCLUSION:

The balance between tumor uptake and metabolic washout in healthy tissue causes the TNR to increase with time, reaching its maximum after 24 h, and this characteristic can be exploited when a radiotracer with a long half-life, such as 90Y, is used. In particular, if 90Y-DOTATOC is used with liver NET metastases, the proposed RGS technique is believed to be feasible by injecting an activity that is one third of that commonly used for PET imaging.

• Authors: Francesco Collamati, Fabio Bellini, Valerio Bocci, Erika De Lucia, Valentina Ferri, Federica Fioroni, Elisa Grassi, Mauro Iori, Michela Marafini, Silvio Morganti, Riccardo Paramatti, Vincenzo Patera, Luigi Recchia, Andrea Russomando, Alessio Sarti, Adalberto Sciubba, Martina Senzacqua, Elena Solfaroli Camillocci, Annibale Versari, Cecilia Voena, Riccardo Faccini
• Journal: Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine (J Nucl Med) Vol. 56 Issue 10 Pg. 1501-6 (Oct 2015) ISSN: 1535-5667 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26338895 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2015 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Chemical References

• 177Lu-octreotide, DOTA(0)-Tyr(3)-
• Radiopharmaceuticals
• 90Y-octreotide, DOTA-Tyr(3)-
• Octreotide

Topics

• Beta Particles
• Half-Life
• Humans
• Kidney (diagnostic imaging)
• Liver (diagnostic imaging)
• Neuroendocrine Tumors (diagnostic imaging, surgery)
• Octreotide (analogs & derivatives, pharmacokinetics)
• Radiopharmaceuticals (pharmacokinetics)
• Spleen (diagnostic imaging)
• Surgery, Computer-Assisted (methods)
• Tissue Distribution
• Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon