Somatostatin receptor PET (68Ga/64Cu-DOTATATE)
A PET scan using a radioactive hormone mimic that lights up neuroendocrine tumours and shows whether the matching radioactive treatment will work.
68Ga-DOTATATE (Netspot, 2016), 68Ga-DOTATOC (2019) and 64Cu-DOTATATE (Detectnet, 2020) replaced 111In-octreotide scintigraphy, with far higher sensitivity for small lesions and bone disease. Mandatory for staging, for selecting patients for PRRT (Krenning score ≥3 or uptake above liver), and for detecting occult primaries. FDG PET complements it in high-grade or dedifferentiated disease ('flip-flop' pattern).
How it works
Radiolabelled somatostatin analogue binds SSTR2 on tumour cells; positron emission imaged by PET/CT.
- Whole-body receptor map
- Theranostic gatekeeper for 177Lu-DOTATATE
- Changes management in ~40% of patients versus conventional imaging
- Physiologic uptake in pancreas uncinate, spleen, pituitary
- Poor sensitivity in SSTR-negative high-grade disease
- 68Ga generator supply and short half-life
Latest papers
topQuery for this technology: (TITLE:"Somatostatin receptor PET" OR ABSTRACT:"Somatostatin receptor PET" OR TITLE:"68Ga/64Cu-DOTATATE" OR ABSTRACT:"68Ga/64Cu-DOTATATE") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Somatostatin receptor PET (68Ga/64Cu-DOTATATE), not a curated reading list.