Are RECIST criteria sufficient to assess response to therapy in neuroendocrine tumors?
METHODS
Within the group of 47 patients treated with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), four patients were chosen: three with inoperable tumors without liver metastases and one with two lesions in the pancreas and metastases.


RESULTS
In all patients, after PRRT, the changes in the sum of the longest diameters of tumors were between -1% and -21%, resulting in stable disease reported [strict Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST)]. But the measurements of tumor volume and attenuation in computed tomography and the tumor to nontumor ratio in somatostatin receptor scintigraphy resulted in different response assessments.


CONCLUSIONS
The RECIST standard may be not sufficient to properly assess the therapy response in patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
Nuclear Medicine Unit Endocrinology Department, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Krakow, Poland. sowiana@gmail.com
Anna
A
Sowa-Staszczak
Robert
R
Chrzan
Dorota
D
Pach
Agnieszka
A
Stefańska
Monika
M
Tomaszuk
Monika
M
Buziak-Bereza
Maciej
M
Kołodziej
Elwira
E
Przybylik-Mazurek
Alicja
A
Hubalewska-Dydejczyk
D000368:Aged; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D011379:Prognosis; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018000:Receptors, Peptide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden
D011868:Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D018000:Receptors, Peptide