SOMATOSTATIN RECEPTOR IMAGING OF NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS WITH IN-111 PENTETREOTIDE (OCTREOSCAN)

Somatostatin, a naturally occurring 14-amino acid peptide, can be thou ght of as an anti-growth hormone and functional down-regulator of sens itive tissue. Most neuroendocrine tumors seem to possess somatostatin receptors in sufficient abundance to allow successful scintigraphic im aging with radiolabeled somatostatin congeners. Several of these, incl uding Indium-111-DTPA Pentetreotide (Octreoscan [Mallinckrodt Medical, St. Louis, MO]), which was approved for clinical use by the Food and Drug Administration in June 1994, have been of considerable value in s cintigraphically identifying various neuroendocrine tumors. The Octreo scan compares favorably with other imaging modalities. The success of somatostatin receptor imaging in evaluating patients with suspected ne uroendocrine tumors, including identifying otherwise radiographically occult lesions, has resulted in ranking somatostatin receptor imaging as the prime imaging procedure in patients with suspected neuroendocri ne tumors at The Ohio State University. Copyright (C) 1995 hy W.B. Sau nders Company