Value of Somatostatin Receptor PET/CT in Patients With MEN1 at Various Stages of Their Disease

Context Despite the growing evidence of the clinical value of somatostatin receptor (SSTR) positron emission tomography (PET) in the evaluation of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), its role remains to be clarified at different time points in the journey of patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). The rarity of the disease is however a significant impediment to prospective clinical trials. Objective The goals of the study were to assess the indications and value of SSTR PET/computed tomography (CT) in patients with MEN1. Methods We retrospectively included patients from 7 French expert centers for whom data on SSTR PET/CT and morphological imaging performed at the same period were available. Detection rates of PET study were analyzed. Results One hundred and 8 patients were included. SSTR PET/CT was performed at screening (n = 33), staging (n = 34), restaging (n = 37), and for peptide receptor targeted radiotherapy selection (n = 4). PET detected positive pancreatic lesions in 91% of cases at screening, with results comparable with magnetic resonance imaging but superior to CT (P = .049). Metastases (mostly lymph node [LN]) were present at the screening phase in 28% of cases, possibly due to the suboptimal value of screening morphological imaging in the assessment of nodal metastases and/or a long delay between imaging studies. SSTR PET/CT was considered superior or complementary to the reference standard in the assessment of LN or distant metastases in the vast majority of cases and regardless of the clinical scenario. Conclusion This study shows the potential added value of SSTR PET in the assessment of MEN1-associated NETs and provides great impetus toward its implementation in the evaluation of patients with MEN1.

Automated summary

This study assesses the indications and value of SSTR PET/CT in patients with MEN1, and finds that SSTR PET has potential added value in the assessment of MEN1-associated NETs, providing impetus for its implementation in patient evaluation.