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Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are characterized by cellular overexpression of somatostatin receptors (SSTR), which allows for the use of radiolabeled somatostatin analogs (SSA) for both imaging and therapy. Because NETs often are diagnosed at a metastatic stage, curative surgery is not possible. Monthly long-acting SSA preparation constitutes first-line therapy for low-grade small-intestinal NETs and pancreatic NETs. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), with radiolabeled SSAs such as 177Lu-DOTATATE, has been shown to be an effective therapeutic alternative for NETs, improving symptoms and quality of life. The gold-standard method for SSTR imaging and diagnosis of NETs is positron emission tomography (PET) using Gallium-68 (68Ga)-labeled SSAs, such as 68Ga-DOTATOC and 68Ga-DOTATATE. The tumor standardized uptake value (SUV) has been proposed both as a marker of SSTR tumor density and a tool for evaluating therapy response. Changes of tumor SUV on 68Ga-DOTATOC- and DOTATATE-PET have, however, not been shown to correlate with the patient outcome. This thesis is based on five original papers, evaluating the relation between tumor-absorbed dose and tumor shrinkage and developing novel theranostic methods in which quantitative PET imaging with 68Ga-DOTATATE and 68Ga-DOTATOC is used to optimize PRRT with 177Lu-DOTATATE in NET patients. A high and significant positive correlation was found between tumor-absorbed dose and tumor shrinkage in pancreatic NETs treated with 177Lu-DOTATATE. Furthermore, it was found that tumor SUV in 68Ga-DOTATATE and 68Ga-DOTATOC failed to correlate linearly with the net influx rate (Ki), assumed to reflect the SSTR density, due to low tracer availability in blood for high Ki values. SUV blood was significantly higher in tumors with high Ki (>0.2) than in tumors with low Ki, and it was found that the tumor-to-blood ratio (TBR) correlates linearly with Ki. Thus, both Ki and TBR may be used as tools to monitor NET therapy response rather

Background: Low-grade neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are characterized by an abundance of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) that can be targeted with somatostatin analogs (SSA). When activated with a single dose of SSA, the receptor-ligand complex is internalized, and the receptor is by default recycled within 24 h. Ongoing medication with long-acting SSAs at Ga-68-DOTA-SSA-PET has been shown to increase the tumor-to-normal organ contrast. This study was performed to investigate the time-dependent extended effect (7 h) of a single intravenous dose of 400 mu g short-acting octreotide on the tumor versus normal tissue uptake of Ga-68-DOTATOC. Methods: Patients with small-intestinal NETs received a single intravenous dose of 400 mu g octreotide and underwent dynamic abdominal Ga-68-DOTATOC-PET/CT at three sessions (0, 3 and 6 h) plus static whole-body (WB) PET/CT (1, 4 and 7 h), starting each PET/CT session by administering 167 +/- 21 MBq, 23.5 +/- 4.2 mu g (mean +/- SD, n = 12) of Ga-68-DOTATOC. A previously acquired clinical whole-body Ga-68-DOTATOC scan was used as baseline. SUV and net uptake rate K-i were calculated in tumors, and SUV in healthy organs. Results: Tumor SUV decreased significantly from baseline to 1 h post-injection but subsequently increased over time and became similar to baseline at 4 h and 7 h. The tumor net uptake rate, K-i, similarly increased significantly over time and showed a linear correlation both with SUV and tumor-to-blood ratio. By contrast, the uptake in liver, spleen and pancreas remained significantly below baseline levels also at 7 h and the receptor turn-over in tumors thus exceeded that in the normal tissue, with restitution of tumor Ga-68-DOTATOC uptake mainly completed at 7 h. These results however differed depending on tumor size, with significant increases in K-i and SUV between the 1st and 2nd PET, in large tumors (>= 4 mL) but not in small (> 1 to < 4 mL) tumors. Conclusion: SSTR recycling is faster in small-intestinal

Dosimetry during peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has mainly focused on normal organs and less on the tumors. The absorbed dose in one target tumor per patient and several response related factors were assessed in 23 pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (P-NENs) and 25 small-intestinal NEN (SI-NENs) during PRRT with 177Lu-DOTATATE. The total administered activity per patient was (mean ± standard error of mean (SEM) 31.8 ± 1.9 GBq for P-NENs and 36 ± 1.94 GBq for SI-NENs. The absorbed tumor dose was 143.5 ± 2 Gy in P-NENs, 168.2 ± 2 Gy in SI-NENs. For both NEN types, a dose-response relationship was found between the absorbed dose and tumor shrinkage, which was more pronounced in P-NENs. A significant drop in the absorbed dose per cycle was shown during the course of PRRT. Tumor vascularization was higher in P-NENs than in SI-NENs at baseline but equal post-PRRT. The time to progression (RECIST 1.1) was similar for patients with P-NEN (mean ± SEM 30 ± 1 months) and SI-NEN (33 ± 1 months). In conclusion, a dose response relationship was established for both P-NENs and SI-NENs and a significant drop in the absorbed dose per cycle was shown during the course of PRRT, which warrants further investigation to understand the factors impacting PRRT to improve personalized treatment protocol design.

Peptide receptor radiotherapy using 177Lu-labeled somatostatin ligand analogs is a well-established treatment for neuroendocrine tumors, with 177Lu-DOTATATE having acquired marketing authorization in Europe and the United States. The investigation of the pharmacokinetics of these radiopharmaceuticals in vivo in humans is crucial for personalized treatment management and understanding of treatment effects. Such an investigation requires input data on the in vivo stability of the radiopharmaceuticals in blood and plasma. The work presented here is devoted to the investigation of the in vivo stability of 177Lu-DOTATATE in humans affected by neuroendocrine tumors. Methods: Blood samples of 6 patients undergoing 177Lu-DOTATATE were taken at 0.5, 4, 24, and 96 h after injection. Analysis of metabolic stability was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: A fast metabolism of the radiopharmaceutical was observed, with the fraction of intact 177Lu-DOTATATE in plasma decreasing rapidly to 23% ± 5% (mean ± SD) at 24 h and 1.7% ±0. 9% at 96 h after injection. Conclusion: The in vivo stability of 177Lu-DOTATATE is much lower than previously assumed, with the major part of radioactivity in plasma consisting of 177Lu-labeled metabolites already at 24 h after injection.

Introduction: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has during the last few years been frequently used in patients with progressive, disseminating, well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Objective: To study whether the absorbed dose in small intestinal NET (SI-NET) metastases from PRRT with 177Lu-DOTATATE is related to tumor shrinkage. Materials and Methods: Dosimetry for 1 tumor was performed in each of 25 SI-NET patients based on sequential SPECT/CT 1, 4, and 7 days after 177Lu-DOTATATE infusion. The SPECT data were corrected for the partial volume effect based on previous phantom measurements, and the unit density sphere model from OLINDA was used for absorbed dose calculations. Morphological therapy response was assessed by CT/MRI regarding tumor diameter, tumor volume, total liver tumor volume, liver volume, and overall tumor response according to RECIST 1.1. Plasma chromogranin A and urinary 5-hydroxy-indole-acetic-acid were measured during PRRT and follow-up to assess biochemical response. Results: At the time of best response with respect to tumor diameter and volume shrinkage, the median absorbed dose was 128.6 Gy (range 28.4–326.9) and 140 Gy (range 50.9–487.4), respectively. All metrics regarding tumor shrinkage and biochemical response were unrelated to the absorbed dose. A correlation was, however, found between the administered radioactivity and the tumor volume shrinkage (p = 0.01) and between the administered radioactivity and RECIST 1.1 response (p = 0.01). Conclusions: It was not possible to demonstrate a tumor dose-response relationship in SI-NET metastases with the applied dosimetry method, contrary to what was previously shown for pancreatic NETs., De två första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet

PET/CT with 68Ga-DOTA-somatostatin analogs has been tested for therapy monitoring in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However, standardized uptake values (SUV) in tumors do not correlate with the net influx rate (Ki), as a representation of the somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expression. In this study, tumor-to-blood-ratio (TBR) was evaluated as an alternative tool for semi-quantitative assessment of 68Ga-DOTATOC and 68Ga-DOTATATE tumor uptake and as a therapy monitoring tool for patients with NETs. Methods: Twenty-two NET patients underwent a 45-min dynamic PET/CT scan after injection of 68Ga-DOTATOC and/or 68Ga-DOTATATE. Ki was determined using the Patlak method and TBR was calculated for the 40-45 min time interval. Results: A linear relation was found between Ki and TBR, with a square of Pearson correlation (R2) of 0.98 and 0.93 for 68Ga-DOTATOC and 68Ga-DOTATATE, respectively. Conclusion: High correlation was found between Ki and TBR. Hence, TBR reflects SSTR density more accurately than SUV and is suggested as the preferred metrics for semi-quantitative assessment of 68Ga-DOTATOC and 68Ga-DOTATATE tumor uptake.

Meeting Abstract: EP-0729

The resolution and quantitative accuracy of PET are highly influenced by the reconstruction method. Penalized-likelihood estimation algorithms allow for fully convergent iterative reconstruction, generating a higher image contrast than ordered-subsets expectation maximization (OSEM) while limiting noise. In this study, a type of penalized reconstruction known as block-sequential regularized expectation maximization (BSREM) was compared with time-of-flight OSEM (TOF OSEM). Various strengths of noise penalization factor β were tested along with various acquisition durations and transaxial fields of view (FOVs) with the aim of evaluating the performance and clinical use of BSREM for 18F-FDG PET/CT, both quantitatively and in a qualitative visual evaluation. Methods: Eleven clinical whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations acquired on a digital TOF PET/CT scanner were included. The data were reconstructed using BSREM with point-spread function recovery and β-factors of 133, 267, 400, and 533—and using TOF OSEM with point-spread function—for various acquisition times per bed position and various FOVs. Noise level, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-background ratio (SBR), and SUV were analyzed. A masked evaluation of visual image quality, rating several aspects, was performed by 2 nuclear medicine physicians to complement the analysis. Results: The lowest levels of noise were reached with the highest β-factor, resulting in the highest SNR, which in turn resulted in the lowest SBR. A β-factor of 400 gave noise equivalent to TOF OSEM but produced a significant increase in SUVmax (11%), SNR (22%), and SBR (12%). BSREM with a β-factor of 533 at a decreased acquisition duration (2 min/bed position) was comparable to TOF OSEM at a full acquisition duration (3 min/bed position). Reconstructed FOV had an impact on BSREM outcome measures; SNR increased and SBR decreased when FOV was shifted from 70 to 50 cm. The evaluation of visual image quality resulted in similar scores for

(68)Ga-DOTATOC and (68)Ga-DOTATATE are radiolabelled somatostatin analogs used for diagnosis of somatostatin receptor expressing neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and SUV -measurements are suggested for treatment monitoring. However, changes in net-influx rate (Ki) may better reflect treatment effects than those of the SUV, and accordingly there is a need to compute parametric images showing Ki at the voxel level. The aim of this study was to evaluate parametric methods for computation of parametric Ki images by comparison to volume of interest based methods and to assess image contrast in terms of tumor-to-liver ratio. METHODS: Ten patients with metastatic NETs underwent a 45-min dynamic PET examination followed by whole-body PET/CT at 1 h post injection of (68)Ga-DOTATOC and (68)Ga-DOTATATE on consecutive days. Parametric Ki images were computed using a basis function method (BFM) implementation of the two tissue irreversible compartment model and the Patlak method using a descending aorta image-derived input function, and mean tumor Ki values were determined for 50% isocontour VOIs and compared to Ki values based on non-linear regression (NLR) of the whole-VOI time-activity curve. A subsample of healthy liver was delineated in the whole-body and Ki images and tumor-to-liver ratios were calculated in order to evaluate image contrast. Correlation and agreement between VOI-based and parametric Ki values were assessed using regression and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Correlation (R2) between NLR-based and parametric image-based (BFM) tumor Ki values was 0.98 (slope 0.81) and 0.97 (slope 0.88) for (68)Ga-DOTATOC and (68)Ga DOTATATE, respectively. For Patlak analysis, correlation between NLR-based and parametric based (Patlak) tumor Ki were 0.95 (slope 0.71) and 0.92 (slope 0.74) for (68)Ga-DOTATOC and (68)Ga-DOTATATE, respectively. There was no bias between NLR and parametric based Ki-values. Tumor-to-liver contrast was 1.6 and 2.0 times higher in the parametric BFM-Ki

This article presents system performance studies of the Discovery MI PET/CT system, a new time-of-flight (TOF) system based on silicon photomultipliers. System performance and clinical imaging comparisons were made between this next-generation system and other commercially available PET/CT and PET/MR systems, as well as between different reconstruction algorithms. Methods: Spatial resolution, sensitivity, NECR, scatter fraction, count rate accuracy, and image quality were characterized with the NEMA NU-2 2012 standards. Energy and coincidence time resolution were measured. Tests were conducted independently and results were averaged on two Discovery MI scanners installed at Stanford and Uppsala University Hospitals. Back-to-back patient scans were also performed between the Discovery MI PET/CT, Discovery 690 PET/CT, and SIGNA PET/MR systems. Clinical images were reconstructed with both ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) and the "Q.Clear" reconstruction algorithms, and examined qualitatively. Results: The averaged full-width half max (FWHM) of the radial/tangential/axial spatial resolution reconstructed with FBP at 1, 10, and 20 cm from the system center are, respectively, 4.10/4.19/4.48 mm, 5.47/4.49/6.01 mm, and 7.53/4.90/6.10 mm. The averaged sensitivity is 13.7 cps/kBq at the center of the FOV. Averaged peak noise equivalent count rate is 193.4 kcps at 21.9 kBq/mL with a scatter fraction of 40.6%. The averaged contrast recovery coefficients for the image quality phantom are 53.7/64.0/73.1/82.7/86.8/90.7 for the 10/13/17/22/28/37 mm diameter spheres. The average photopeak energy resolution is 9.40% FWHM and the average coincidence time resolution is 375.4 ps FWHM. Clinical image comparisons between the PET/CT systems demonstrate the high quality of the Discovery MI system. Comparisons between the Discovery MI and SIGNA systems show similar spatial resolution and overall imaging performance. Lastly, results indicate significant image quality and contras

Title in WoS: Is there a gender difference of absorbed dose to the risk organs in patients receiving Lu-177-Octreotate therapy?

Objectives: This article presents studies performed with the Discovery MI PET/CT system, a new time-of-flight (TOF) system based on silicon photomultipliers. System performance was characterized according to the NEMA NU-2 2012 standards. Comparisons of performance and clinical images were also made between this next-generation system and other commercially available PET/CT and PET/MR systems, as well as between different image reconstruction algorithms. Methods: Spatial resolution, sensitivity, NECR, scatter fraction, count rate accuracy, and image quality were characterized according to the NEMA NU-2 2012 standards. In addition, energy and coincidence time resolution were measured using a line source at the center of the field-of-view (CFOV). Tests were conducted independently on two Discovery MI scanners installed at Stanford University Hospital and Uppsala University Hospital, and results were averaged between the two systems. In addition, back-to-back patient scans were performed between the Discovery MI PET/CT, Discovery 690 PET/CT, and SIGNA PET/MR systems. Clinical images were reconstructed with both ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) reconstruction algorithms and the block-sequential regularized expectation maximization (BSREM) "Q.Clear" reconstruction algorithm, and examined qualitatively. Results: The averaged FWHM of the radial, tangential, and axial spatial resolution reconstructed with filtered backprojection (FBP) at 1/10/20 cm from the system center are, respectively, 4.10/4.19/4.48 mm, 5.47/4.49/6.01 mm, and 7.53/4.90/6.10 mm. The averaged sensitivity is 13.7 cps/kBq at the center and 13.4 cps/kBq at 10 cm radial offset from the center. Averaged peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) is 193.4 kcps at 21.9 kBq/mL with a scatter fraction (SF) of 40.6%. The averaged contrast recovery (CR) coefficients for the image quality (IQ) phantom are 53.7/64.0/73.1/82.7/86.8/90.7 for the 10/13/17/22/28/37 mm diameter spheres over 3 separate acquisitio

Title in WoS: Image quality measurements with Lu-177 on a GE Discovery 670 CZT

Objectives: The NEMA performance measurement standard (NEMA NU 2-2012) for PET scanners provides guidelines on how to assess the performance of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Three different state of the art PET systems were installed at Uppsala University Hospital between years 2014-2016 and independent NEMA standard tests were performed. The aim of this study was to compare system performance of the three scanners. Methods: Three commercially available scanners from GE-healthcare (SIGNA PET/MR; Discovery IQ PET/CT; Discovery MI PET/CT) were evaluated. The SIGNA and MI systems are based on LYSO crystals and digital SiPMs, whereas the IQ uses BGO crystals and regular PMTs. Spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate statistics, count rate accuracy and image quality were assessed according to the NEMA NU 2-2012 standards. In addition to the NEMA standard test, recovery was assessed for different reconstructions using the NEMA image quality phantom at a contrast of 4:1 in all spheres, and a triple line insert phantom. These tests were performed on all three scanners in a single session, avoiding differences due to variability in phantom preparation. Results: Full width of half maximum (FWHM) of the spatial resolution (radial/tangential/axial) reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) at 1,10 and 20 cm from the centre of FOV is illustrated in figure 1A for each system. The average sensitivity, Peak NECR, scatter fraction and count rate accuracy of each system is presented in table 1. The average image contrast recovery coefficients of SIGNA, IQ and MI varied between 45, 40 and 56 % (10 mm sphere) to 74, 72 and 84 % (22 mm sphere) respectively. The average image contrast recovery coefficients is presented in figure 1B. The lung error for SIGNA, IQ and MI were 2.7, 18 and 5.2 % respectively. Using reconstruction settings recommended for clinical use (Signa: TOF-OSEM, 2 iterations/28 subsets, 5 mm post-filter; IQ: OSEM, 4/12, 4 mm; MI: TOF-OSEM, 3/16, 5 mm, a

Objectives: The penalized likelihood estimation reconstruction algorithm Q.Clear (GE Healthcare) allows for full convergence and edge preservation through a block sequential regularized expectation maximization technique. In this study the performance of Q.Clear was investigated for different penalization factors (β) with the aim to optimize its clinical use for four different tracers. Methods: Q.Clear reconstructions with β values of 200, 400, 600 and 800 were compared to time-of-flight ordered subset expectation maximization (TF-OSEM) (3 iterations, 16 subsets and 5 mm Gaussian filter) with point spread function recovery. Clinical whole-body PET/CT (Discovery MI, GE Healthcare) scans with 68Ga-DOTATOC, 18F-FDG, 11C-acetate or 18F-fluoride were analyzed for level of noise in healthy liver tissue, signal to noise ratio (SNR), signal to background ratio (SBR) and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). In addition, acquisition times per bed position and transaxial field of view (FOV) of the reconstructed images were varied. For each tracer, images from 10 patients were included, with a mean of 30 lesions per tracer. A spherical reference volume of interest (VOI) was placed in the liver and lesions were delineated employing a 41% threshold of the maximum voxel. Results: The lowest levels of noise were reached with the highest beta factor resulting in the highest SNR, but this in turn gave the lowest SBR. Noise equivalence to OSEM was found with β 600 for 68Ga-DOTATOC, 18F-FDG and 18F-fluoride, and β 400 for 11C-acetate with a resulting significant increase of SUVmax (19.4%, 9.7%, 22.5% and 19.0% respectively) (P < 0.0001, paired t-test), SNR (22.1%, 22.6%, 9.5% and 33.6%) and SBR (19.5%, 11.7%, 21.3% and 18.5%) compared to OSEM. SNR decreased while SBR increased for all tracers when extending FOV from 500 to 700 mm, but only significantly for 18F-fluoride. Decreasing image acquisition time gave no statistical difference of SUVmax for 68Ga-DOTATOC, 18F-fluoride

UNLABELLED: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is a promising treatment for patients with neuroendocrine tumors, giving rise to improved survival. Dosimetric calculations in relation to PRRT have been concentrated to normal organ dosimetry in order to limit side effects. However, the relation between the absorbed dose to the tumor and treatment response has so far not been established. Better knowledge in this respect may improve the understanding of treatment effects, allow for improved selection of those patients who are expected to benefit from PRRT, and avoid unnecessary treatments. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the dose-response relationship for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors treated with PRRT using (177)Lu-DOTATATE. METHODS: Tumor-absorbed dose calculations were performed for 24 lesions in 24 patients with metastasized pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors treated with repeated cycles of (177)Lu-DOTATATE at 8-wk intervals. The absorbed dose calculations relied on sequential SPECT/CT imaging at 24, 96, and 168 h after infusion of (177)Lu-DOTATATE. The unit density sphere model from OLINDA was used for absorbed dose calculations. The absorbed doses were corrected for partial-volume effect based on phantom measurements. On the basis of these results, only tumors larger than 2.2 cm in diameter at any time during the treatment were included for analysis. To further decrease the effect of partial-volume effect, a subgroup of tumors (>4.0 cm) was analyzed separately. Tumor response was evaluated by CT using Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors. RESULTS: Tumor-absorbed doses until best response ranged approximately from 10 to 340 Gy. A 2-parameter sigmoid fit was fitted to the data, and a significant correlation between the absorbed dose and tumor reduction was found, with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R(2)) of 0.64 for tumors larger than 2.2 cm and 0.91 for the subgroup of tumors larger than 4.0 cm. The largest tumor reduction was

Meeting Abstract: OP551

Absorbed dose planning prior peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with 177Lu-DOTATATE would allow maximization of the absorbed dose to tumor tissue whilst minimizing the risk for side-effects in healthy organs. Unfortunately, dosimetry during 177Lu-DOTATATE is only possible post therapy and using 68Ga-DOTATATE to act as surrogate for 177Lu-DOTATATE could potentially enable prediction of absorbed doses prior PRRT with 177Lu-DOTATATE. The aim of this study was to compare uptake and kinetics of 68Ga-DOTATATE and 177Lu-DOTATATE in tumors by performing dynamic or serial scans with both radiopharmaceuticals in the same patients. Methods Six NET patients underwent a 45-min dynamic PET scan after injection of 124 ±38 MBq 68Ga-DOTATATE and serial SPECT scans after a bolus injection of 500 ± 0 MBq 177Lu-DOTATATE assuring similar peptide content in the radiopharmaceuticals. Tumor and whole-blood SUV, tumor-to-blood-ratio (TBR), and net influx rate (Ki) were determined for 68Ga-DOTATATE and 177Lu-DOTATATE. Ki was determined by non-linear regression of an irreversible two-tissue compartment model with a loss parameter and by the Patlak method. Results In majority of tumors, tumor SUV was higher in 68Ga-DOTATATE than in 177Lu-DOTATATE and whole-blood SUV was lower in 68Ga-DOTATATE than in 177Lu-DOTATATE, resulting in a lower TBR for 68Ga-DOTATATE than for 177Lu-DOTATATE. For Ki, Spearman correlation was 0.55 between 68Ga- DOTATATE and 177Lu-DOTATATE with a Demining regression slope of 0.93. For Patlak based Ki (with correction for partial volume effect based on data <100 min p.i. for 177Lu-DOTATATE), the Spearman correlation was 0.90 and with a Deming regression slope close to 1 (0.83). Using a later time interval (with correction for partial volume effect based on data >100 min p.i) for the Patlak analysis also resulted in high correlation (0.87) but the Deming regression slope was 0.18. Conclusion Linear relation with good agreement was found between the SUVs