DOTATOC-(68Ga) for PET imaging of endocrine digestive tumours: Case report and literature review

68Ga is a positron emitter, obtained from a 68Ge/68Ga generator, which can be used to label peptides of clinical interest. DOTATOC is a tracer of high affinity for the type 2 somatostatin receptors and is used for imaging of tumours which are expressing them, including endocrine tumours. We report on the case of a patient with a history of small bowel carcinoid tumour with hepatic metastases, treated by somatostatin analogues, in whom somatostatin receptor scintigraphy showed three liver foci and DOTATOC-(68Ga) PET/CT highlighted much more liver lesions. Two recent studies emphasised on the superiority of DOTATOC-(68Ga) PET over somatostatin receptor scintigraphy, and its complementarity with CT, especially for the diagnosis of bone metastases. DOTATOC-(68Ga) PET/CT, which associates the specificity of somatostatin receptor scintigraphic detection with the spatial resolution of PET and the anatomical precision of CT, seems to be promised to a brilliant future, the more so as it offers many advantages to the patient: a shorter waiting time, one single image acquisition and a satisfying dosimetry. (authors)