Molecular imaging in neuroendocrine tumors: molecular uptake mechanisms and clinical results.
Neuroendocrine tumors can originate almost everywhere in the body and consist of a great variety of subtypes. This paper focuses on molecular imaging methods using nuclear medicine techniques in neuroendocrine tumors, coupling molecular uptake mechanisms of radiotracers with clinical results. A non-systematic review is presented on receptor based and metabolic imaging methods. Receptor-based imaging covers the molecular backgrounds of somatostatin, vaso-intestinal peptide (VIP), bombesin and cholecystokinin (CCK) receptors and their link with nuclear imaging. Imaging methods based on specific metabolic properties include meta-iodo-benzylguanide (MIBG) and dimercapto-sulphuric acid (DMSA-V) scintigraphy as well as more modern positron emission tomography (PET)-based methods using radio-labeled analogues of amino acids, glucose, dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), dopamine and tryptophan. Diagnostic sensitivities are presented for each imaging method and for each neuroendocrine tumor subtype. Finally, a Forest plot analysis of diagnostic performance is presented for each tumor type in order to provide a comprehensive overview for clinical use.
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen and University Medical Centre Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
Klaas P
KP
Koopmans
Oliver N
ON
Neels
Ido P
IP
Kema
Philip H
PH
Elsinga
Thera P
TP
Links
Elisabeth G E
EG
de Vries
Pieter L
PL
Jager
D026905:Amino Acid Transport Systems / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D015335:Molecular Probes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
D026905:Amino Acid Transport Systems; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015335:Molecular Probes; D010710:Phosphates; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D005947:Glucose