BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was the assessment of utility of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) by SPECT imaging using 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-Tyr3-octreotide (99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC) in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) or suspected NEN, referred to Nuclear Medicine Dept. of Voivodship Specialty Center in Rzeszow. The selected group of patients was referred also to 68Ga PET/CT. The posed question was the ratio of patients for whom PET/CT with 68Ga would change their management.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The distribution of somatostatin receptors was imaged using 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC in 61 planar and SPECT studies between 13/05/2010 and 04/02/2013 in Nuclear Medicine Dept. of Voivodship Specialty Center in Rzeszow. The patient age was within a range of 17–80, with the average age of 57.6. The average age of women (65% of patients over­all) was 55.6 and the average age of men (35% of patients overall) was 61.4. In 46 participants (75% of the study group), that underwent SRS, NEN was documented using pathology tests. Selected patients were referred to PET/CT with 68Ga labeled somatostatin analogs, DOTATATE or DOTANOC. This study group consisted of 14 female and 10 male participants with age range of 35–77 and average age of 55.5 years. Patients were classified into 3 groups, as follows: detection — referral due to clinical symptoms and/or biochemical markers (CgA-Chromogranin A, IAA-indoleacetic acid) with the aim of primary diagnosis, staging — referral with the aim of assessment of tumor spread, and follow-up — assessment of the therapy.

RESULTS: Out of 61 patients, 24 underwent both 99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-Tyr3-octreotide SPECT and 68Ga PET/CT. The result of PET/CT was used as a basis for further evaluation. Therefore, the patients were divided into groups; true positive TP (confirmed presence of tissue somatostatin receptors with 68Ga PET/CT) and TN (68Ga PET/CT did not detect any changes and the results were comparable and had the same influence on treatment protocol). In case of SPECT, the results were assigned as follows: TP, TN (in cases where the results were confirmed by 68Ga PET/CT), FP (patient’s scintigraphy demonstrated focal change by SPECT but not PET/CT) and FN (99mTc-EDDA/HYNIC-Tyr3-octreotide SPECT failed to demonstrate any abnormalities; however, the treatment protocol was changed after PET/CT).

CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of SPECT diagnosis was found to be as high as 91.6%. Only in 8.4% of patients the additional PET/CT with 68Ga-labeled somatostatin analog changed the treatment protocol.