DIAGNOSTIC RELIABILITY OF SOMATOSTATIN RECEPTOR SCINTIGRAPHY DURING CONTINUOUS TREATMENT WITH DIFFERENT SOMATOSTATIN ANALOGS

In order to evaluate the diagnostic reliability of somatostatin recept or scintigraphy (SRS) in patients treated with somatostatin analogs, t en patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors were investigated be fore and during continuous treatment. Different somatostatin analogs w ere used for therapy: five patients received octreotide (Sandostatin(R ), Sandoz, Switzerland) and five were treated with BIM 23014 (Lanreoti de, Ipsen Biotech, France) within the scope of a clinical phase II stu dy. The SRS findings were analyzed in terms of biodistribution of the labeled somatostatin analog and tumor visualization comparing the two studies in each patient. Whereas liver, spleen, and kidney uptake were decreased during octreotide treatment and increased on lanreotide the rapy, tumor accumulation was intensified in all but one patient. Our r esults suggest that the diagnostic value of SRS is not necessarily res tricted during treatment with somatostatin analogs. Indeed, tumor visu alization may even be enhanced in this therapeutic setting.