(Press-News.org) Baltimore, Md. (Embargoed until 12:30 p.m., June 8, 2015) - The origin of cancer is often obscured by metastases--tumors that have already spread to other tissues. This is especially the case for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), a malignancy of nerve cells scattered throughout various organ systems that are sensitive to the signaling of neurotransmitters and hormones. An investigational molecular imaging technique could be the key to finding the elusive primary tumor, say presenters at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).
Researchers are rooting out these primary tumors, many of them found in the gastrointestinal tract or the lungs, with combined positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT), which provides both functional and structural imaging of the body. What makes this technique novel is the accompaniment of an imaging agent known as Ga-68 DOTATOC, which binds to somatostatin receptors in neuroendocrine cells that use the hormone somatostatin to mediate endocrine function, the release of neurotransmitters and cellular proliferation. PET/CT with Ga-68 DOTATOC highlights malignant tumors because the agent binds to these more strongly than normal tissues. Such an imaging technique could provide critical information that alters cancer patients' treatment.
"Our study shows that Ga-68 DOTATOC PET/CT can change the management of patients with unknown primary tumor and neuroendocrine metastases, including potential surgical resection of the primary tumor," said Yusuf Menda, MD, lead author of the study and a researcher in the department of radiology and division of nuclear medicine at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. "There is evidence that surgery could lead to improved survival for these patients."
For this research, Ga-68 DOTATOC, short for gallium-68 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N?,N??,N???-tetraacetic acid-d-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide, was administered to 36 patients with metastatic NET and unknown primary tumor site. All patients underwent PET/CT. Results showed that 29 patients' scans revealed strong-binding metastases with a high affinity for the imaging agent.
Of these scans, 19 indicated the location of primary tumor. Confirmation of primary tumor site was achieved in three patients by further imaging and in eight patients by histological examination. Five suspected primary tumors remained undefined, and no primary tumor site was found for seven patients. False positives were noted for three patients. A total of seven patients went on to have primary tumors surgically removed, and another patient was treated with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. In total, 28 percent of patients underwent a major change in cancer management as a result of Ga-68 DOTATOC PET/CT.
"Ga-68 DOTATOC and similar agents are investigational drugs in the United States and are not yet approved for clinical use," said Menda. "They are being investigated in clinical trials across several U.S. institutions. It is hoped that these studies and previous European published experience will ultimately lead to regulatory approval of these agents within the next one to two years."
INFORMATION:
Scientific Paper 143: "Role of Gallium-68 DOTATOC PET-CT in Neuroendocrine Tumors with Unknown Primary Site," Y. Menda, M.M. Graham, D. Dick, M.K. Schultz, G.L. Watkins, J. Sunderland, Radiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; T. O'Dorisio, J.S. Dillon, Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; J.R. Howe, Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M. O'Dorisio, Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; SNMMI's 62nd Annual Meeting, June 6-10, 2015, Baltimore, Md.
About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated and helping provide patients with the best health care possible.
SNMMI's 18,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snmmi.org.
Baltimore, Md. -- A relatively new biomarker called prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is the bullseye for three new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agents that bind to the protein in not only prostate cancer, but a range of tumor types, according to research unveiled at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).
'We have shown in this proof-of-concept study that PSMA could serve as a biomarker for MR-based molecular imaging due to its high concentration within target cells, limited expression within non-targeted ...
Baltimore, Md. -- Amyloid build-up is commonly talked about in relation to Alzheimer's disease, but amyloidosis can be found throughout the body. An excessive accumulation of these insoluble proteins could cause a heart attack or even death. A new molecular imaging scan of amyloid in the heart could help diagnose the problem, say researchers at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).
The condition is called transthyretin-type (TTR) amyloidosis after the TTR gene thought to cause the over-abundance of plaque build-up. ...
Baltimore, Md. -- New research presented during the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) demonstrates that amyloid positron emission tomography (amyloid PET) scans of the brain provide clearer diagnosis and earlier, more effective treatment for Alzheimer's patients, when results of a more conventional PET scan remain ambiguous.
Researchers reviewed the clinical outcomes of two kinds of PET scans: a preliminary scan with a common radiotracer called fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), which acts like glucose in the brain to capture ...
Baltimore, Md. -- Fatal cardiac events are often preceded by abnormal blood clots, also called thrombosis. Scientists have now developed a molecular imaging technique that could save lives by revealing troublesome thrombi, according to a study presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).
'Thrombosis is the underlying cause of deadly diseases such as stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and heart attack, which affect millions of people worldwide,' said Francesco Blasi, Ph.D., lead author of the study ...
Baltimore, Md. (Embargoed until 12:30 p.m., June 8, 2015) - Neuroinflammation caused by a reactive immune system could be tripping off the neurodegeneration seen in certain dementias, multiple sclerosis, and other deadly diseases of the nervous system. A novel molecular imaging technique could be the key to understanding how best to treat these and other devastating diseases, according to a recent study presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).
At the heart of this maladaptive immune response are microglia, ...
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center are reporting a potentially important discovery in the battle against one of the most devastating forms of leukemia that accounts for as many as one in five children with a particularly aggressive form of the disease relapsing within a decade.
In a cover story set to appear in the journal Cancer Cell online June 8, researchers at NYU Langone and elsewhere report that they have successfully halted and reversed the growth of certain cancerous white blood cells at the center of T-cell ...
A research group at Disney Research Pittsburgh has developed a computer vision system that, much like humans, can continuously improve its ability to recognize objects by picking up hints while watching videos.
Like most other object recognition systems, the Disney system builds a conceptual model of an object, be it an airplane or a soap dispenser, by using a learning algorithm to analyze a number of example images of the object.
What's different about the Disney system is that it then uses that model to identify objects, when it can, in videos. As it does, it sometimes ...
An algorithm developed through collaboration of Disney Research Pittsburgh and Boston University can improve the automated recognition of actions in a video, a capability that could aid in video search and retrieval, video analysis and human-computer interaction research.
The core idea behind the new method is to express each action, whether it be a pedestrian strolling down the street or a gymnast performing a somersault, as a series of space-time patterns. These begin with elementary body movements, such as a leg moving up or an arm flexing. But these movements also ...
URBANA, Ill. - Contrary to popular belief, foreclosed properties do not always lead to unkempt lawns. University of Illinois researchers used remote sensing technology to observe rapid change in U.S. urban settings, specifically homes in Maricopa County, Arizona, that foreclosed over about a 10-year period.
"We learned that when a property is foreclosed, it's more nuanced than nature just coming in and taking over," said U of I professional geographer Bethany Cutts. "Foreclosure doesn't always mean management stops."
Cutts said the team of researchers chose to test ...
Tropical Cyclone 01A has been moving in a northerly direction through the Northern Indian Ocean, and is now curving to the west, moving into the Gulf of Oman. NASA's Aqua satellite and RapidScat instruments gathered imagery and data on the storm. Three days of RapidScat imagery showed how sustained winds increased around the entire storm.
The first tropical cyclone of the Northern Indian Ocean Season was born on Sunday, June 7. Tropical Cyclone 1A developed near 16.3 North latitude and 68.5 East longitude, about 536 nautical miles (616.8 miles/992.7 km) south of Karachi, ...
