PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - David Bushnell
AU  - Thomas O’Dorisio
AU  - Yusuf Menda
AU  - Thomas Carlisle
AU  - Pamela Zehr
AU  - Mary Connolly
AU  - Mark Karwal
AU  - Sara Miller
AU  - Stan Parker
AU  - Hakim Bouterfa
TI  - Evaluating the Clinical Effectiveness of <sup>90</sup>Y-SMT 487 in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors
DP  - 2003 Oct 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 1556--1560
VI  - 44
IP  - 10
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/44/10/1556.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/44/10/1556.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2003 Oct 01; 44
AB  - Because of the presence of cell membrane somatostatin receptors (SSTRs), many neuroendocrine tumors will bind analogs of somatostatin. 90Y-Dodecanetetraacetic acid-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (SMT 487) is an SSTR radiopharmaceutical currently under investigation as a therapeutic option for neuroendocrine tumors. Although there are a variety of methods for evaluating response to a given cancer therapy, an important indicator of success is the impact on the clinical status of the patient. The purpose of this work was to develop a semiquantitative method and assess the clinical effectiveness of 90Y-SMT 487 therapy in patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Methods: A scoring system was developed to evaluate clinical response that included the following parameters: weight, health status score (determined by the patient), Karnofsky score, and tumor-related symptoms. Results: We applied this scoring system to 21 patients who had completed 3 cycles of therapy with 90Y-SMT 487. Fourteen of the 21 showed a favorable clinical response, whereas 5 were clinically stable after treatment and 2 showed evidence of clinical progression. There was also a significant reduction in the amount of octreotide being used after completion of 90Y-SMT 487 therapy in the 20 patients who were on this medication. Conclusion: Using this scoring method, 90Y-SMT 487 appears effective in improving the clinical status of patients with 111In-pentetreotide-positive neuroendocrine tumors.