PET/CT with Gluc-Lys-([(18)F]FP)-TOCA: correlation between uptake, size and arterial perfusion in somatostatin receptor positive lesions.
OBJECTIVE
Somatostatin receptor (sstr) positive tumours vary widely in uptake of radiolabelled somatostatin (sst) analogues. This study determinates variability in lesion uptake of the glycosylated sst analogon N(alpha)-(1-deoxy-D-fructosyl)-N(epsilon)-(2-[(18)F]fluoropropionyl)-Lys(0)-Tyr(3)-octreotate (Gluc-Lys([(18)F]FP)-TOCA) and correlates it with lesion size and arterial perfusion as measured on computed tomography (CT).


METHODS
Ten patients with metastasized neuroendocrine carcinomas were investigated with positron emission tomography PET/CT (Biograph 16, Siemens, Germany). Lesion standardized uptake values (SUVs) were determined at approximately 50 min post tracer injection according to a 60% isocontour volume of interest around each lesion. Lesion size and enhancement in the arterial phase (hounsfield units, HUs) were derived from CT.


RESULTS
114 lesions in the upper abdomen had a correlate on both, PET and CT. Variability in lesion SUVs was high (SUV(mean) 22 +/- 13). Intraindividually, there was a sigmoid positive correlation between lesion SUV and lesion diameter indicating partial volume effects. Residual variability in lesions > or =3 cm (> or =2.5 cm) ranged down to about half (third) of the maximum lesion uptake and remained unexplained by partial volume effects. No correlation with measured HU in the arterial phase was found, neither intraindividually nor interindividually.


CONCLUSIONS
Partial volume effects were a major source of intraindividual variability in tumour tracer uptake. Lesions below 2.5 to 3 cm should thus be used with caution when performing dose calculations. In larger lesions residual variability in uptake must be considered; it may be due to variable sstr2 expression on the tumours' cell surfaces.
Wieder
Hinrich
H
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universität München, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany.
Beer
Ambros J
AJ
Poethko
Thorsten
T
Meisetschlaeger
Guenther
G
Wester
Hans-Juergen
HJ
Rummeny
Ernst
E
Schwaiger
Markus
M
Stahl
Alexander R
AR
D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*
C475998:N(alpha)-(1-deoxy- D-fructosyl)- N(epsilon)-(2-fluoropropionyl)-Lys(0)-Tyr(3)-octreotate; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; D005632:Fructose