What are Neuroendocrine Tumors?
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are often seen as relatively benign, but actually are a highly metastatic disease with high morbidity and mortality. Despite their slow growth, the wide range of treatments available means that it is highly important to identify the extent of the disease. The metabolic activity of NETs is lower, and their small size and variable anatomical position make standard imaging difficult to apply. While SPECT/CT with somatostatin analogues conjugated to Indium-111 has been considered the standard for NET imaging in past years, outside of the United States, PET CT with somatostatin analogues conjugated to Gallium-86 is rapidly becoming more prevalent.
The benefits of Gallium-86
This new scanning method offers many advantages to healthcare providers- for example, as opposed to SPECT/CT with Indium-111, PET/CT with Gallium-86 is far more sensitive and provides significantly higher resolution, as well as offering the ability to quantify uptake. In addition, the Gallium-86 scans are better for the patient, reducing scan time to only 2 hours and decreasing biliary excretion. The availability of PET/CT with Gallium-86 at Baystate Medical Center improves the treatment of the patients significantly.