Comparison of 68Ga-DOTA-JR11 PET/CT with dosimetric 177Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan (177Lu-DOTA-JR11) SPECT/CT in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors undergoing peptide receptor radionuclide therapy

Purpose: Paired imaging/therapy with radiolabeled Somatostatin Receptor (SSTR) antagonists is a novel approach in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). The aim of this study was to compare tumor uptake of ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-JR11 and ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan (¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTA-JR11) in patients with NETs.

Methods: As part of a prospective clinical trial, 20 patients with metastatic NETs underwent ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-JR11 PET/CT and serial imaging with ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan. PET/CT and SPECT/CT parameters for lesion uptake and absorbed dose of ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan in lesions were compared using linear regression analysis and Pearson correlation.

Results: A total of 95 lesions were analyzed on ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-JR11 PET/CT and ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan SPECT/CT. SUVs and tumor-to-normal-tissue ratios on PET/CT and SPECT/CT were significantly correlated (p < 0.01), but the degree of correlation was modest with Pearson correlation coefficients ranging from 0.3 to 0.7. Variation in intrapatient lesional correlation was observed. Nevertheless, in all patients, the lesion SUVpeak uptake ratio for ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan vs. ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-JR11 was high; even in those with low uptake on ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-JR11 PET/CT (SUVpeak ≤ 10), a ratio of 8.0 ± 5.2 was noted. Correlation of SUVpeak of ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-JR11 with projected ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetratexan-absorbed dose (n = 42) was modest (r = 0.5, p < 0.01), while excellent correlation of SUVpeak of ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan with projected ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan-absorbed dose was noted (r = 0.9, p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Our study shows that ⁶⁸Ga-DOTA-JR11 PET can be used for patient selection and PRRT and that low tumor uptake on PET should not preclude patients from treatment with ¹⁷⁷Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan. The ability to use single time-point SPECT/CT for absorbed dose calculations could facilitate dosimetry regimens, save costs, and improve patient convenience.

177Lu-satoreotide tetraxetan; 68Ga-DOTA-JR11; Dosimetry; Neuroendocrine tumors; Somatostatin receptor antagonists.