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Clinical Investigations |
1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
2 Clinical Cooperation Unit Nuclear Medicine, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
3 Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
4 Division of Radiochemistry and Radiopharmacology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
5 Department of Innovative Cancer Diagnostics and Therapy, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
6 University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| ABSTRACT |
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Key Words: somatostatin receptors 68Ga-DOTA-TOC PET kinetic modeling meningioma
| INTRODUCTION |
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Meningiomas show expression of a variety of receptors, including progesterone, androgen, platelet-derived growth factor, epidermal growth factor, prolactin, dopamine, and somatostatin receptor (SSTR) subtype 2 (SSTR2) (1,2). Somatostatin is ubiquitously distributed in the body, inhibiting various hormonal systems and physiologic functions. Five receptor subtypes (SSTR15), acting through transmembrane domain G proteins, have been identified. SSTRs are overexpressed in many tumors (e.g., in neuroendocrine, lung, and breast tumors and in lymphomas), with subtype specificity for each histology. 111In-Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-octreotide SPECT is a valuable technique for differentiating between meningiomas, neurinomas, and neurofibromas and for the postsurgical follow-up of meningioma patients (3). Furthermore, SSTR imaging was helpful for distinguishing between meningiomas and pituitary adenomas on the basis of qualitative tracer uptake (3). A major drawback of 111In-DTPA-octreotide SPECT is the difficulty of detecting meningiomas with a diameter of less than 2.7 cm or a volume of less than 10 mL (4).
Recently, the somatostatin analog DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (DOTA-TOC) has been developed (5). 1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N'',N'''-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) is a macrocyclic chelator that ensures high in vivo stability for the corresponding radiometal chelates. Replacing Phe3 by Tyr in the octapeptide increases its hydrophilicity and thus the efficiency of its clearance by the kidney and leads to an enhanced affinity for the human SSTR2 (5,6).
Because of the increased spatial resolution and the ability to quantify biodistribution, PET is desirable for SSTR imaging. For that reason, DOTA-TOC has been labeled with the positron emitter 68Ga. 68Ga-DOTA-TOC is of value for scintigraphic evaluation of patients with SSTR-positive lesions such as neuroendocrine tumors, especially carcinoids (79). In contrast to, for example, 18F-FDG, 68Ga-DOTA-TOC showed high meningioma-to-background ratios. It provided valuable additional information on the extent of meningiomas beneath osseous structures, especially at the skull base (10).
The purpose of this study was to gather basic information about the kinetic behavior of the novel compound 68Ga-DOTA-TOC in previously nonirradiated low-grade meningiomas. The kinetic parameters of 68Ga-DOTA-TOC in meningioma patients were determined by pharmacokinetic modeling of dynamic PET scans.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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0.6 corresponding to 68Ga-DOTA-TOC.
Patients and Data Acquisition
Dynamic PET scans were acquired for 21 patients (mean age ± SD, 50.6 ± 12.9 y; 2 men and 19 women) with meningiomas (median grade I according to the system of the World Health Organization) before radiotherapy. Fifteen patients underwent partial resection 44.1 ± 39.4 mo, on average, before PET. To avoid partial-volume effects, we included only meningiomas with volumes of at least 0.5 mL from the total of 33 detected with PET (n = 28; mean volume, 13.1 mL). The patient data are shown in Table 1.
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After acquisition of transmission data (10 min, 3 68Ge line sources) to correct for attenuation, 155.7 ± 28.7 MBq of 68Ga-DOTA-TOC were injected. Emission data were measured starting immediately after injection up to 60 min after injection (frames: 10 x 30 s, 5 x 60 s, 5 x 120 s, and 8 x 300 s). Measurements were obtained with a whole-body PET system, (ECAT EXACT HR+; Siemens/CTI) covering 155 mm in the axial field of view (63 transversal slices, each 2.4 mm thick). Data were acquired in the 3-dimensional mode without interslice tungsten septa. This acquisition mode was selected because the total true-event sensitivity is higher by a factor of nearly 4.9 in the 3-dimensional mode than in the 2-dimensional mode (12). Quantification in 3-dimensional mode was found to be equivalent to that in 2-dimensional mode for the radioactivities used clinically. In 3-dimensional mode, the transaxial resolution ranges from 4.1 to 4.8 mm over a transaxial field of view of 400 mm (12,13). The matrix size was 128 x 128 pixels. Images were corrected for scatter and attenuation. Iterative image reconstruction used the ordered-subsets expectation maximization algorithm.
Data Analysis
For evaluation of the 68Ga-DOTA-TOC kinetics, the rate constants k1, k2, k3, and k4 (dimensions, 1/min) and the vascular fraction (vB, vessel density as parameter that modulates uptake and improves the model) were computed using the PMod software (PMod Technologies Ltd.) (14). Furthermore, k1 k1 x k2 (receptor binding) and the k1/k2 and k3/k4 ratios were calculated. The input function was retrieved from the image data. Time-activity curves were created using volumes of interest obtained from an arterial vessel. A 2-tissue-compartment model consisting of a blood compartment and 2 sequential tissue compartments is commonly used for receptor studies. C1 represents tracer specifically bound to the SSTR2, and C2 represents tracer internalized into meningioma cells (Fig. 1). k1 describes the binding to the receptor, k2 the displacement from the receptor, k3 the cellular internalization, and k4 the externalization.
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Nasal mucosa, consistently showing a slight to moderate physiologic SSTR density, was chosen as the reference tissue (RT) (15). Mean SUVs in regions of interest, placed over meningiomas, nasal mucosa, and brain tissue in both temporal lobes, were calculated.
| RESULTS |
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Significant (P < 0.05) differences in meningiomas versus RT were found for vB (0.42 vs. 0.11), k2 (0.12 vs. 0.56), k3 (0.024 vs. 0.060), k4 (0.004 vs. 0.080), and RB (0.49 vs. 0.13). However, there was no significant difference for k1 (0.54 vs. 0.40). Mean values and SDs are given in Table 2. The mean ratios k1/k2 (4.50 vs. 0.71) and k3/k4 (6.00 vs. 0.75) were 6- to 8-fold higher in meningiomas than in RT.
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| DISCUSSION |
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-t1/2 of 3.5 min (renal clearance not included). Renal clearance of the compound showed a ß-t1/2 of 63 min. The uptake in meningiomas increased rapidly after injection. The highest SUVs were found at a plateau between 60 and 120 min, with a mean of 10.5 ± 13.7. Because of the intact blood-brain barrier, no accumulation of 68Ga-DOTA-TOC in the surrounding brain tissue (mean SUV, 0.12 ± 0.04) was found later than 10 min after injection (10). Labeling of DOTA-TOC with the generator nuclide 68Ga is inexpensive and easy, and a titanium dioxide-based 68Ge/68Ga generator is commercially available. The present study revealed significant differences between meningiomas and RT for SUV (mean, 10.5 vs. 1.3), vB (0.42 vs. 0.11), k2 (0.12 vs. 0.56), k3 (0.024 vs. 0.061), k4 (0.004 vs. 0.080), and RB (0.49 vs. 0.13). However, the difference for k1 (0.54 vs. 0.40) was not significant. The ratios k1/k2 (4.50 vs. 0.71) and k3/k4 (6.00 vs. 0.75) were 6- to 8-fold higher in meningiomas than in RT. The high uptake of 68Ga-DOTA-TOC in meningiomas is determined by high values for vB and RB and by high ratios for k1/k2 and k3/k4. In contrast, k2 (describing the displacement from the receptor) and k4 (describing the cellular externalization) were remarkably low. These data are evidence that the binding to the receptor and trapping by internalization are the mechanisms responsible for tracer accumulation. The parameters k1k4, vB, and RB might serve as a basis for addressing issues such as differentiation of tumor entities at the skull base, meningioma subtypes, meningioma grading, or postradiotherapy follow-up that has to be done in further studies.
Overall, our PET findings were in accordance with known histopathologic properties of benign meningiomas, such as high vascularization and high SSTR2 density. In a total of 40 intracranial meningiomas, classified as benign (n = 31), atypical (n = 7), and anaplastic (n = 2), microvessel density was immunohistochemically investigated. Most grade I meningiomas showed multiple large vessels, whereas grade II or III meningiomas showed small microvessels (16). In contrast to glioblastomas, benign meningiomas show a positive correlation between vascularization and tumor volume (17). Meningiomas express SSTRs in nearly 100% of cases, and SSTR2 is the most frequently detected subtype in benign meningiomas (18,19). In 20 meningiomas, expression of messenger RNA for the 5 SSTRs was characterized by Northern blot and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis, which revealed all examined tumors to be positive for SSTR2 messenger RNA (2).
Furthermore, our patient data are in accordance with the high SSTR2 affinity of 68Ga-DOTA-TOC and with its previously reported stable receptor binding in vitro (5,6) and its high cellular internalization rates. Froidevaux et al. demonstrated that 67Ga-DOTA-TOC was strongly internalized by AR4-2J cells and that radioactivity dissociated only slowly from the cells after internalization (20).
Because biopsy has a high risk of hemorrhage, alternative methods for characterization of meningioma aggressiveness and tendency to progress are sought. This SSTR imaging technique may be applied clinically to improve the characterization of skull-base tumors when MRI findings are unclear and the tumor is to be treated by radiosurgery alone or stereotactic biopsy is risky for the patient. 68Ga-DOTA-TOC PET adds valuable information on the extent of meningiomas beneath osseous structures, especially at the skull base. This information can be improved by fusing these functional images with morphologic images using either appropriate hardware such as PET/CT scanners or specially designed software. Large meningiomas at the base of the skull are difficult to treat because of their proximity or adherence to critical structures. The long-term results (median follow-up period, 35 mo) of a study on 189 patients with benign meningiomas demonstrated that fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy is safe and effective for meningiomas that are not totally resected or are unresectable (21). As will be evaluated in further studies, 68Ga-DOTA-TOC PET might be helpful in the planning of stereotactic radiotherapy to delineate the extent of meningiomatous manifestation.
In the follow-up of patients after stereotactic radiotherapy, a distinction between scar tissue and radiation necrosis or meningioma recurrence significantly affects individual patient management (3). Further studies need to evaluate the clinical impact on follow-up after stereotactic radiotherapy of kinetic modeling using 68Ga-DOTA-TOC, which might be more sensitive and specific than SUV or MRI alone.
| CONCLUSION |
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| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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For correspondence or reprints contact: Marcus Henze, MD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg; Germany.
E-mail: Marcus.Henze{at}med.uni-heidelberg.de
| REFERENCES |
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