PET/CT with Ga-68 DOTATOC has been proved effective for detecting neuroendocrine tumors with somatostatin receptors, which cause inflammation, Dr. Tomomi Nobashi and colleagues noted. However, the clinical efficacy of PET/CT with DOTATOC for sarcoidosis, which also causes inflammation, has not been explored.
In their study, Nobashi and colleagues examined a small group of patients (median age, 66 years) whose diagnosis of sarcoidosis was confirmed by biopsy or clinical and radiological exam. All subjects underwent Ga-67 citrate scintigraphy, followed by PET/CT with Ga-68 DOTATOC within one day.
Two experienced nuclear medicine physicians interpreted the images. In cases of abnormal uptake, they noted the number of lymph nodes and lesions affected.
Detectability was "almost comparable" between the two techniques on a patient basis, the researchers found. However, DOTATOC-PET/CT showed abnormal uptake in hilar and mediastinal nodes in one more patient than citrate scintigraphy.
DOTATOC-PET/CT also found more lesions and lymph nodes than citrate scintigraphy.
Given its advantage in the small study sample, DOTATOC-PET/CT "may have practical usefulness in the detection and monitoring of sarcoidosis activity," the researchers concluded.
