Lu-DOTATATE Therapy Research Articles

Quantitative SPECT/CT Metrics in Early Prediction of [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE Treatment Response in Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients.

Our objective is to explore quantitative imaging markers for early prediction of treatment response in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) undergoing [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE therapy. By doing so, we aim to enable timely switching to more effective therapies in order to prevent time-resource waste and minimize toxicities. Methods: Patients diagnosed with unresectable or metastatic, progressive, well-differentiated, receptor-positive GEP-NETs who received 4 sessions of [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE were retrospectively selected. Using SPECT/CT images taken at the end of treatment sessions, we counted all visible tumors and measured their largest diameters to calculate the tumor burden score (TBS). Up to 4 target lesions were selected and semiautomatically segmented. Target lesion peak counts and spleen peak counts were measured, and normalized peak counts were calculated. Changes in TBS (ΔTBS) and changes in normalized peak count (ΔnPC) throughout treatment sessions in relation to the first treatment session were calculated. Treatment responses were evaluated using third-month CT and were binarized as progressive disease (PD) or non-PD. Results: Twenty-seven patients were included (7 PD, 20 non-PD). Significant differences were observed in ΔTBSsecond-first, ΔTBSthird-first, and ΔTBSfourth-first (where second-first, third-first, and fourth-first denote scan number between the second and first, third and first, and fourth and first [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE treatment cycles), respectively) between the PD and non-PD groups (median, 0.043 vs. -0.049, 0.08 vs. -0.116, and 0.109 vs. -0.123 [P = 0.023, P = 0.002, and P < 0.001], respectively). ΔnPCsecond-first showed significant group differences (mean, -0.107 vs. -0.282; P = 0.033); ΔnPCthird-first and ΔnPCfourth-first did not reach statistical significance (mean, -0.122 vs. -0.312 and -0.183 vs. -0.405 [P = 0.117 and 0.067], respectively). At the optimal threshold, ΔTBSfourth-first exhibited an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.957, achieving 100% sensitivity and 80% specificity. ΔTBSsecond-first and ΔTBSthird-first reached AUCs of 0.793 and 0.893, sensitivities of 71.4%, and specificities of 85% and 95%, respectively. ΔnPCsecond-first, ΔnPCthird-first, and ΔnPCfourth-first showed AUCs of 0.764, 0.693, and 0.679; sensitivities of 71.4%, 71.4%, and 100%; and specificities of 75%, 70%, and 35%, respectively. Conclusion: ΔTBS and ΔnPC can predict [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE response by the second treatment session.

Quality of life (QoL) benefits following 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy in patients (pts) with 68Ga-DOTATATE PET positive primary site agnostic neuroendocrine tumors (NET).

e16291 Background: The QoL experience during the 1st year of follow up for 68Ga-DOTATATE PET positive primary site agnostic pts with progressive metastatic NET enrolled in a prospective single arm clinical trial of 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy (OZM 067) is described here. Methods: Pts with progressive NET, Ki67 Index &lt; 30%, adequate organ function &amp; ECOG £2 were eligible. Only pts demonstrating positive disease (Krenning score 3-4) on 68Ga-DOTATATE PET were eligible to proceed to 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy (4 cycles at 8- to 12- week intervals. Primary outcome was progression free survival (PFS) at 12 mths. QoL (EORTC QLQ 30 and GINET21) at baseline, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 months were recorded. Summary scores at time point of interest, and their change from baseline were estimated using a mixed model repeated measure, with baseline assessment included in the model as covariate. Data were normalized with a range of 0-100. A positive change score for Global Summary Status, Functioning Domains, and a negative change score for Symptom Scales and Items represent improvement. A ≥5 point change score is used as a threshold for Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID). Results: 195 pts were enrolled. 13 pts were 68Ga-DOTATATE PET negative while 5 pts withdrew consent. 177 pts received at least one dose of 177Lu-DOTATATE. All pts enrolled were eligible for a minimum of 12 mths follow up at time of data lock. The primary site was GEPNET in 143 (81%) and non GEPNET in 34 (19%). At 12 mths, the median follow-up was 33 (range 3-71) mths. PFS and OS were 81 (95% CI: 75-86)% and 92 (87-95)% respectively. QoL data at the following timepoints baseline, 6 &amp; 12 (±2) mths were available in 174,128 &amp; 111 pts respectively. The top three symptoms captured in EORTC QLQ 30 was Fatigue (32.5 SD 23.8) , Insomnia (26.7 SD 28.1) and Diarrhea (22.1 SD 29.4). At 12 mths, an improvement in mean score of ≥MCID in Global Health status (GHS) (+5.4), Role Fc Scale (+7,1), Social Fc Scale (+8.7) and multiple symptoms (Fatigue, Pain, Appetite, Constipation, Diarrhea, Financial Difficulties), Sexual fc, Social, Body image (Table 1) were captured. Conclusions: Patients with primary site agnostic 68Ga-DOTATATE PET positive NET experienced improvement in multiple quality of life domains including multiple symptoms post 177Lu-DOTATATE at 12 mths. Sexual fc and body image had the largest improvement. Clinical trial information: NCT02743741 . [Table: see text]

Deep transformer-based personalized dosimetry from SPECT/CT images: a hybrid approach for [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE radiopharmaceutical therapy

PurposeAccurate dosimetry is critical for ensuring the safety and efficacy of radiopharmaceutical therapies. In current clinical dosimetry practice, MIRD formalisms are widely employed. However, with the rapid advancement of deep learning (DL) algorithms, there has been an increasing interest in leveraging the calculation speed and automation capabilities for different tasks. We aimed to develop a hybrid transformer-based deep learning (DL) model that incorporates a multiple voxel S-value (MSV) approach for voxel-level dosimetry in [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE therapy. The goal was to enhance the performance of the model to achieve accuracy levels closely aligned with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, considered as the standard of reference. We extended our analysis to include MIRD formalisms (SSV and MSV), thereby conducting a comprehensive dosimetry study.MethodsWe used a dataset consisting of 22 patients undergoing up to 4 cycles of [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE therapy. MC simulations were used to generate reference absorbed dose maps. In addition, MIRD formalism approaches, namely, single S-value (SSV) and MSV techniques, were performed. A UNEt TRansformer (UNETR) DL architecture was trained using five-fold cross-validation to generate MC-based dose maps. Co-registered CT images were fed into the network as input, whereas the difference between MC and MSV (MC-MSV) was set as output. DL results are then integrated to MSV to revive the MC dose maps. Finally, the dose maps generated by MSV, SSV, and DL were quantitatively compared to the MC reference at both voxel level and organ level (organs at risk and lesions).ResultsThe DL approach showed slightly better performance (voxel relative absolute error (RAE) = 5.28 ± 1.32) compared to MSV (voxel RAE = 5.54 ± 1.4) and outperformed SSV (voxel RAE = 7.8 ± 3.02). Gamma analysis pass rates were 99.0 ± 1.2%, 98.8 ± 1.3%, and 98.7 ± 1.52% for DL, MSV, and SSV approaches, respectively. The computational time for MC was the highest (~2 days for a single-bed SPECT study) compared to MSV, SSV, and DL, whereas the DL-based approach outperformed the other approaches in terms of time efficiency (3 s for a single-bed SPECT). Organ-wise analysis showed absolute percent errors of 1.44 ± 3.05%, 1.18 ± 2.65%, and 1.15 ± 2.5% for SSV, MSV, and DL approaches, respectively, in lesion-absorbed doses.ConclusionA hybrid transformer-based deep learning model was developed for fast and accurate dose map generation, outperforming the MIRD approaches, specifically in heterogenous regions. The model achieved accuracy close to MC gold standard and has potential for clinical implementation for use on large-scale datasets.

SHDB mutant functional metastatic paraganglioma: The efficacy of Lutetium-177 DOTATE

Abstract Introduction Therapeutic options for metastatic paraganglioma (PGL) are limited, especially in the presence of uncontrolled secondary hypertension (HTN). Early findings from Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) DOTATE show promise for efficacy, although data on HTN control and survival are uncertain. Herein, we presented the successful treatment of a patient with metastatic PGL and uncontrolled HTN with Lu-177 DOTATE. Clinical Case A 16-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department with severe headache, nausea and vomiting. She also reported stomach and low back pain for three months. The patient's blood pressure was 220/140 mmHg and a sodium nitroprusside infusion was started to treat the hypertensive crisis. On physical examination she had abdominal tenderness. A computer tomography (CT) examination revealed 6 cm mass, multiple metastatic nodular lesions in the lung and liver, as well as lytic lesions in all bones, and metastatic lymph nodes in thorax and abdomen. She is referred to our department for further evaluation HTN. Laboratory examinations revealed that plasma norepinephrine 24926 ng/L (70–480), 24-hour urine norepinephrine 1335 µg/day (20–81), metanephrine 534 µg/day (52–341), 3-metoksitiramine 771 µg/day (0–451), normetanephrine 20456 µg/day (88–444). Other laboratory findings were normal range. MIBG I131 scan which showed pathological uptake of MIBG was demonstrated in the regions described on CT. Genetic panel by next-generation sequencing (NGS) identify germline mutation and she had heterozygous mutations in SHDB (c.725 G&amp;gt;A) and BUB1B (c.1378 C&amp;gt;T). Surgical treatment was performed, and pathological finding reported 6cm mass, Ki-67 labeling index: %2, chromogranin A diffuse positive and there was vascular invasion. It was confirmed to be malignant PGL. 131I-MIBG therapy couldn't be given because of drugs interaction that used by patient. She received 13 cycles chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, dacarbazine) and palliative radiotherapy to metastatic bone lesions. She continued, however, to suffer from low back pain and HTN. Rising plasma and urine catecholamine levels. Therefore, conventional chemotherapy had been discontinued and he was commenced on Lu-DOTATATE therapy. Up to now, she has received 2 cycles at intervals of three months. Her clinical response was excellent with gradual improvement of symptoms and quality of life. Blood pressure is now within normal values without medication. There was significant reduction in the size of overall metastatic disease on Ga-68 DOTATE scanning. Conclusion Lu-177 DOTATE has potential advantages (drug interaction, radiation-safety) compared with 131I-MIBG therapy and chemotherapy. Our case demonstrates significant clinical and biochemical success in patients with metastatic PGL in addition to excellent disease management with low toxicity from PRRT. Lu-177 DOTATATE therapy is an effective and safe modality of treatment for patients with metastatic PGL.

Survival Outcomes in Metastatic Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients receiving Concomitant 225Ac-DOTATATE Targeted Alpha Therapy and Capecitabine: A Real-world Scenario Management Based Long-term Outcome Study.

Rationale: Although the short-term results of targeted alpha therapy (TAT) with 225Ac-DOTATATE in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) have proven effective, none have assessed the long-term outcome results. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the long-term outcome of 225Ac-DOTATATE targeted alpha therapy (TAT) in patients with somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-expressing advanced-stage metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). Methods: Patients with 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT scans showing moderate-to-high SSTR expression were recruited. Systemic TAT was performed in 91 adults with GEP-NET [54 males, and 37 females] mean age 54 years (y) (range: 25-75y)] using 225Ac-DOTATATE (100-120 kBq/kg body weight). All patients were given capecitabine therapy as a radiosensitizer (dose 2 g/day) from day 0 to 14 of every 225Ac-DOTATATE treatment cycle. Patients were categorized into three groups based on the status of prior 177Lu-PRRT: prior 177Lu-PRRT-refractory-group; prior 177Lu-PRRT-disease-control group; and 177Lu-PRRT naïve group. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective tumour response, clinical response, and the assessment of treatment-related toxicities. Results: Among the 91 patients, 57 underwent prior 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy [24 disease controlled (PR/SD), 33 progressive diseases (PD)]. A total of 453 225Ac-DOTATATE TAT cycles were administered [median four cycles per patient; range 1-10] in a median follow-up duration of 24 months (range 5-41mo). Median OS was not attained with a 24-month overall survival probability of 70.8%. In multivariate analysis, prognostic factors associated with a poor OS included, the presence bone metastases [HR: 2.501; 95% CI: 1.826 - 5.791; P<0.032], and 225Ac-DOTATATE therapy refractory disease [HR: 8.781; 95% CI: 3.843 - 20.062; P<0.0001]. Median PFS was also not reached with a 24-month progression-free survival probability of 67.5%. The multivariate analysis revealed only 177Lu-PRRT refractory disease significantly associated with a reduced PFS. [HR: 14.338; 95% CI: 1.853 - 97.698; P = 0.011]. Two of 79 patients (2.5%) with assessable disease experienced complete response; 38 (48%) had a partial response, 23 (29%) had SD, and 16 (20.2%) had PD. PD was observed in more patients from the prior 177Lu-PRRT-refractory group (11/33; 34%) as compared to 177Lu-PRRT-naïve patients (4/24; 11%), P-0.056. Patients from the prior 177Lu-PRRT-refractory group had the highest risk of poor PFS [HR:13.91; 95% CI: 4.45 - 42.271; P = 0.0009]. A significant clinical benefit was achieved post 225Ac-DOTATATE therapy with minimal treatment-related toxicities. Conclusion: The long-term results reveal 225Ac-DOTATATE TAT has shown promising results and improves overall survival, even in patients refractory to prior 177Lu-DOTATATE treatment, with transient and acceptable adverse effects.

Patient-specific dosimetry adapted to variable number of SPECT/CT time-points per cycle for ^{177}Lu-DOTATATE therapy

BackgroundThe number of SPECT/CT time-points is important for accurate patient dose estimation in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. However, it may be limited by the patient’s health and logistical reasons. Here, an image-based dosimetric workflow adapted to the number of SPECT/CT acquisitions available throughout the treatment cycles was proposed, taking into account patient-specific pharmacokinetics and usable in clinic for all organs at risk.MethodsThirteen patients with neuroendocrine tumors were treated with four injections of 7.4 GBq of ^{177}Lu-DOTATATE. Three SPECT/CT images were acquired during the first cycle (1H, 24H and 96H or 144H post-injection) and a single acquisition (24H) for following cycles. Absorbed doses were estimated for kidneys (LK and RK), liver (L), spleen (S), and three surrogates of bone marrow (L2 to L4, L1 to L5 and T9 to L5) that were compared. 3D dose rate distributions were computed with Monte Carlo simulations. Voxel dose rates were averaged at the organ level. The obtained Time Dose-Rate Curves (TDRC) were fitted with a tri-exponential model and time-integrated. This method modeled patient-specific uptake and clearance phases observed at cycle 1. Obtained fitting parameters were reused for the following cycles, scaled to the measure organ dose rate at 24H. An alternative methodology was proposed when some acquisitions were missing based on population average TDRC (named STP-Inter). Seven other patients with three SPECT/CT acquisitions at cycles 1 and 4 were included to estimate the uncertainty of the proposed methods.ResultsAbsorbed doses (in Gy) per cycle available were: 3.1 ± 1.1 (LK), 3.4 ± 1.5 (RK), 4.5 ± 2.8 (L), 4.6 ± 1.8 (S), 0.3 ± 0.2 (bone marrow). There was a significant difference between bone marrow surrogates (L2 to L4 and L1 to L5, Wilcoxon’s test: p value < 0.05), and while depicting very doses, all three surrogates were significantly different than dose in background (p value < 0.01). At cycle 1, if the acquisition at 24H is missing and approximated, medians of percentages of dose difference (PDD) compared to the initial tri-exponential function were inferior to 3.3% for all organs. For cycles with one acquisition, the median errors were smaller with a late time-point. For STP-Inter, medians of PDD were inferior to 7.7% for all volumes, but it was shown to depend on the homogeneity of TDRC.ConclusionThe proposed workflow allows the estimation of organ doses, including bone marrow, from a variable number of time-points acquisitions for patients treated with ^{177}Lu-DOTATATE.

Patient external dose rate after 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy: factors affecting its decrease and predictive value.

Rationale: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with 177Lu-DOTATATE (oxodotreotide) results in external radiation exposure from the patient. In the PREELU observational prospective study, we determined the equivalent dose rate at 1 m of the patient (EDR-1m) for a period following PRRT. The main objective was to predict which patients could be discharged from the hospital at approximately 3 h after the administration of 177Lu-DOTATATE, i.e. at the end of the infusion of amino-acids according to our PRRT protocol. As presenting no undue risk of radiation exposure for the public, those patients could be treated as outpatients or day patients, rather than inpatients.Methods: We sequentially measured EDR-1m facing the sternum and then the pelvis during 50 PRRT in 24 patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumours, each 30 minutes after ending administration of Lutathera, over at least 180 minutes.Results: 180 minutes after the administration of ca. 7400 MBq of Lutathera, EDR-1m was <40 µSv/h in all cases, and <25 µSv/h in 32 cases (64%). After an overnight hospital stay, EDR-1m was <25 µSv/h in all cases. The EDR-1m value measured facing the sternum was the greatest in about one-fourth of paired measurements. In patients whose creatinine clearance was >96 mL/min/1.73m2, the EDR-1m was most likely (predictive value=90%) to drop below 25 µSv/h within 180 minutes after the administration of Lutathera. In 16 patients who benefited from several PRRT cycles, the creatinine clearance did not decrease significantly from one cycle to the next, probably due to the kidney protection by the amino-acid infusion. The patients whose EDR-1m dropped below 25 µSv/h at 180 minutes during their first PRRT cycle were unlikely (predictive value= 88%) to decease during the following two years.Conclusion: All patients could have been discharged 3 h after administration according to the criterion EDR-1m <40 µSv/h. Using EDR-1m <25 µSv/h as criterion, an extended hospital stay beyond 3 h would have been necessary in around one-third of the PRRT treatments and could be anticipated based on creatinine clearance ≤96 mL/min/1.73m2. EDR-1m <25 µSv/h at 180 min during the first PRRT yielded a strong predictive value on the patient's survival at two years, a finding that should be confirmed in future studies.

Pituitary Function after High-Dose 177Lu-DOTATATE Therapy and Long-Term Follow-Up

Introduction: The pituitary gland has a high expression of somatostatin receptors and is therefore a potential organ at risk for radiation-induced toxicity after ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE treatment. Objective: To study changes in pituitary function in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) treated with dosimetry-based ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE to detect possible late toxicity. Methods: 68 patients from a phase II clinical trial of dosimetry-based, individualized ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE therapy were included in this analysis. Patients had received a median of 5 (range 3–9) treatment cycles of 7.4 GBq/cycle. Median follow-up was 30 months (range 11–89). The GH/IGF-1 axis, gonadotropins, and adrenal and thyroid axes were analyzed at baseline and on a yearly basis thereafter. Percent changes in hormonal levels over time were analyzed statistically using a linear mixed model and described graphically using box plots. The absorbed radiation dose to the pituitary was estimated based on post-therapeutic imaging, and the results analyzed versus percent change in IGF-1 levels over time. Results: A statistically significant decrease in IGF-1 levels was found (p < 0.005), which correlated with the number of treatment cycles (p = 0.008) and the absorbed radiation dose (p = 0.03). A similar decrease, although non-significant, was seen in gonadotropins in postmenopausal women, while in men there was an increase during the first years after therapy, after which the levels returned to baseline. No change was observed in the adrenal or thyroid axes. Conclusions: No signs of severe endocrine disorders were detected, although a significant decrease in the GH/IGF-1 axis was found, where dosimetric analyses indicated radiation-induced damage to the pituitary gland as a probable cause.

177Lu-DOTATATE Therapy of Advanced Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Heavily Pretreated with Chemotherapy: Analysis of Outcome, Safety, and Their Determinants

Objective: To retrospectively analyze toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and their determinants in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs), previously pretreated with chemothe­r­apy, undergoing peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE. Methods: A total of 102 patients with advanced PanNETs, previously pretreated with one (67%) or several (33%) lines of chemotherapy, were included, of whom 90% had progressive disease and the majority (74.5%) had grade 2 tumors. ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE, 7.4 GBq per cycle, was administered with 6- to 8-week intervals in 88% of patients utilizing a dosimetry-guided protocol until an absorbed dose of 23 Gy to the kidneys was reached. Results: A mean dose of 32 ± 10.9 GBq per patient was administered in 1–10 cycles starting a median of 36 months after PanNET diagnosis. The median follow-up was 34 months, the median PFS was 24 months, and the median OS was 42 months from start of PRRT. Independent risk factors for both progression and death were liver tumor burden >50%, more than one line of previous chemotherapy, and elevated alkaline phosphatase. Resection of the primary tumor was linked to longer survival. Bone marrow toxicity grade 3–4 occurred in 10.8%. One patient (1.0%) developed acute myeloid leukemia. Bone marrow toxicity was unrelated to type and length of previous chemotherapy, amount of administered activity, and absorbed dose to the bone marrow. Conclusion: ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE therapy was feasible, highly effective, and safe in patients with advanced PanNETs heavily pretreated with chemotherapy. More than one line of chemotherapy was a therapy-related independent risk factor for shorter PFS and OS.

Radiation Safety Observations Associated with 177Lu Dotatate Patients.

Lutetium-177 dotatate, marketed under the name Lutathera®, is proving to be a valuable tool for physicians treating patients with neuroendocrine somatostatin-receptive tumors. Treatment consists of four cycles of 7.4 GBq of Lu dotatate infused intravenously over 30 to 40 minutes. This paper focuses on the radiation safety implications of patients undergoing Lu dotatate treatments at two large medical centers in the United States under the manufacturer's Expanded Access Protocol. Radiation safety precautions are described for the treatment of patients to control for radiation exposure and potential contamination. Ideally, the room used for administration should have a toilet, or one that is in close proximity, and covering should be provided to minimize contamination and clean up. The patient will meet the requirements in 10 CFR Part 35.75 for immediate release based on administered activity or measured exposure rate, but will need to be provided with written instruction on how to keep doses to other individuals ALARA. Disposal of the radioactive waste from Lu dotatate therapy can present some hazard control issues due to the long-lived Lu contaminant.Based on our experience, Lu dotatate therapy is an effective outpatient procedure that can safely occur in any hospital procedural room without the need for additional local shielding. Administration can be accomplished safely with attention paid to the administration set-up and proper administration procedures. Exposure to staff or to adjacent areas is minimal.

177Lu-DOTATATE therapy in patients with neuroendocrine tumours including high-grade (WHO G3) neuroendocrine tumours: response to treatment and long-term survival update.

Upon diagnosis, distant metastases are encountered in 21-50% of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). However, few systemic treatment options are available for the well-differentiated NETs in the metastatic stage. Lu-DOTATATE is one of the most effective treatments in this limited patient group. We retrospectively investigated its efficacy and effect on the survival in patients with both well-differentiated and grade III NETs who had high uptake in pretherapeutic Ga-DOTATATE PET/computed tomography scans. Patients with metastatic NETs treated with Lu-DOTATATE between January 2010 and November 2015 in our department were included in this retrospective cohort. Toxicity and adverse effects were evaluated according to SWOG criteria. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated considering the first date of treatment. Response was evaluated according to RECIST criteria. Potential predictors of survival and response were analysed. Patients (n=186) with metastatic NETs originating from various primary sites (bronchial, pancreatic, nonpancreatic gastroenteropancreatic-NETs, pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma and unknown primary) were treated with 1107 courses of Lu-DOTATATE treatment (median: 6; range: 3-12). Among 160 patients whose responses to treatment could be evaluated according to the RECIST criteria, 28.1% (n=45) had a progressive disease, 21.9% (n=35) had a stable disease, 46.9% (n=75) had a partial response and 3.1% (n=5) had a complete response. Median follow-up was 30.6 months. The Kaplan-Meier estimated median PFS was 36.4 months, mean PFS was 38 months and the mean OS was 55 months. The disease control rates in patients with WHO grades I, II and III were 74, 73 and 60%, respectively, and the OS rates were 61.9, 52.2 and 38.4 months, respectively. We observed no major renal toxicity except a minor increase (11.1%) in average serum creatinine levels. In 33.9% (n=56) of the patients, grade I toxicity; in 9.1% (n=15), grade II; and in 1.2% (n=2), grade III toxicity were observed. Lu-DOTATATE therapy is an important treatment option in somatostatin receptor type-2-positive pancreatic, nonpancreatic gastroenteropancreatic-NETs, and lung NETs including metastatic NETs with an unknown primary site and significantly contributed to patients' OS. Additionally, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy may have a role in a selected subgroup of patients with grade III NET with high somatostatin receptor type-2 expression.

Method dependence, observer variability and kidney volumes in radiation dosimetry of (177)Lu-DOTATATE therapy in patients with neuroendocrine tumours.

BackgroundRadionuclide therapy can be individualized by performing dosimetry. To determine absorbed organ doses in 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy, three methods based on activity concentrations are currently in use: the small volume of interest (sVOI) method, and two methods based on large VOIs either on anatomical CT (aVOI) or on thresholds on functional images (tVOI). The main aim of the present work was to validate the sVOI in comparison to the other two methods regarding agreement and time efficiency. Secondary aims were to investigate inter-observer variability for the sVOI and the change of functional organ volumes following therapy.MethodsThirty patients diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumours undergoing therapy with 177Lu-DOTATATE were included. Each patient underwent three SPECT/CT scans at 1, 4 and 7 days after the treatment. Three independent observers calculated absorbed doses to the right and left kidney and the spleen using sVOI and one observer used aVOI. For tVOI, the absorbed doses were calculated based on automatically drawn isocontours around the organs at different thresholds (42, 50, 60 and 70 %). The inter-observer difference between the calculated absorbed doses for sVOI was calculated, and the differences between the three methods were computed. Ratios of organ volumes acquired at days 1, 4 and 7 versus the volume at day 1 were calculated for the tVOI method.ResultsThe differences in results of the absorbed dose calculations using all the sVOI and tVOI were small (<5 %). Absorbed dose calculations using aVOI differed slightly more from these results but were still below 10 %. The differences between the three dose calculation methods varied between <5 and 10 %. The organ volumes derived from the tVOI were independent of time for the spleen while they decreased with time for the kidneys. The fastest analysis was performed with the sVOI method.ConclusionsAll three dose calculation methods rendered comparable results with small inter-observer differences for sVOI. Unlike the spleen, the functional volume of the kidneys decreased over time during therapy, which suggests that the absorbed dose calculation for the kidneys on activity concentrations should be performed for each time point. The sVOI is the preferred method for calculating absorbed doses in solid organs.

Additional Lesions Detected in Therapeutic Scans with 177Lu-DOTATATE Reflect Higher Affinity of 177Lu-DOTATATE for Somatostatin Receptors

Objective: Peptide receptor-targeted radionuclide therapy (PRRT) of somatostatin receptor (SR)-expressing neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) has become an established therapeutic option in patients with advanced NETs. The aim of this study was to compare the lesion detection rate of ^99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC, a newly developed tracer for NET imaging, with ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE used for PRRT. Methods: 8 patients (4 women, 4 men, age range 46–76 years) with histologically proven NETs, who showed high SR loads by ^99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy, were treated with ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE. After treatment, all patients were subjected to whole-body scintigraphy with additional low-dose single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT-CT) of the chest and abdomen. Results: All patients demonstrated ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE accumulation in all lesions previously detected by ^99mTc- EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy. Three patients showed additional lesions in the liver and lungs. Conclusions: SPECT-CT after ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE therapy may be helpful in detecting additional lesions not seen using ^99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC. This could reflect the broader affinity of ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE for SRs compared with ^99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC.

177Lu-DOTATATE Molecular Radiotherapy for Childhood Neuroblastoma

This study tested the principle that (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT may be used to select children with primary refractory or relapsed high-risk neuroblastoma for treatment with (177)Lu-DOTATATE and evaluated whether this is a viable therapeutic option for those children. Between 2008 and 2010, 8 children with relapsed or refractory high-risk neuroblastoma were studied with (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT. The criterion of eligibility for (177)Lu-DOTATATE therapy was uptake on the diagnostic scan equal to or higher than that of the liver. Of the 8 children imaged, 6 had abnormally high uptake on the (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT scan and proceeded to treatment. Patients received 2 or 3 administrations of (177)Lu-DOTATATE at a median interval of 9 wk and a median administered activity of 7.3 GBq. Of the 6 children treated, 5 had stable disease by the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST). Of these 5 children, 2 had an initial metabolic response and reduction in the size of their lesions, and 1 patient had a persistent partial metabolic response and reduction in size of the lesions on CT, although the disease was stable by RECIST. One had progressive disease. Three children had grade 3 and 1 child had grade 4 thrombocytopenia. No significant renal toxicity has been seen. (68)Ga-DOTATATE can be used to image children with neuroblastoma and identify those suitable for molecular radiotherapy with (177)Lu-DOTATATE. We have shown, for what is to our knowledge the first time, that treatment with (177)Lu-DOTATATE is safe and feasible in children with relapsed or primary refractory high-risk neuroblastoma. We plan to evaluate this approach formally in a phase I-II clinical trial.

Lutetium DOTATATE whole body scans: A novel approach for evaluation of neuroendocrine tumors

Aim:We undertook a study to evaluate whether Lutetium (Lu) DOTATATE whole body scan is well comparable to Gallium positron emission tomography (PET) / Indium Octreotide, and hence with dosimetric advantage can replace it in the pre-therapy setting.Materials and Methods:We undertook a prospective study of a total of 39 patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumor (age 11–70 years), who underwent Lu-DOTATATE scans within the period August 2009–November 2010. This included 28 males and 11 females. Dose of Lu-DOTATATE injected for diagnostic scanning purpose was 10 mCi i.v. Whole body planar images and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-CT images were obtained at 4, 24 and 48 hours. The Lu-DOTATATE whole body and SPECT-CT images were compared to contrast CT scans in all patients, and Indium Octreotide and Gallium DOTATATE PET images in nine patients, with reference to detection sensitivity of number of lesions. The pre-therapy scans were also used for dosimetric calculations. Fourteen of these 39 patients further went ahead with Lu-DOTATATE therapy.Results:All 39 patients demonstrated Lu-DOTATATE uptake in the disease sites seen on the contrast CT images. The uptake intensity was well comparable to Indium Octreotide and Gallium DOTATATE PET scans of all nine patients, with equally well-defined lesions. The post-therapy Lu-DOTATATE scans of the 14 patients who underwent therapy demonstrated higher intensity uptake pattern in the same disease sites, suggesting favorable therapeutic effect. The scans were useful in determining dosimetric details for therapeutic purpose and adequate exposure rates to suggest good ablative effect.Conclusion:Our preliminary data suggest that Lu-DOTATATE whole body scanning procedure is cost effective and equally sensitive as Gallium DOTATOC/NOC PET scan in pre-therapy setting of neuroendocrine tumors. The additional advantage of dosimetry calculations on this scanning procedure makes it more ideal to tailor therapies with more accuracy.