Somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-targeted peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) represents a promising approach for treatment-refractory meningiomas progressing after surgery and radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to provide outcomes of patients harboring refractory meningiomas treated by 177Lu-DOTATATE and an overall analysis of progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS-6) of the same relevant studies in the literature. Eight patients with recurrent and progressive WHO grade II meningiomas were treated after multimodal pretreatment with 177Lu-DOTATATE between 2019 and 2022. Primary and secondarily endpoints were progression-free survival at 6-months (PFS-6) and toxicity, respectively. PFS-6 analysis of our case series was compared with other similar relevant studies that included 86 patients treated with either 177Lu-DOTATATE or 90Y-DOTATOC. Our retrospective study showed a PFS-6 of 85.7% for WHO grade II progressive refractory meningiomas. Treatment was clinically and biologically well tolerated. The overall analysis of the previous relevant studies showed a PFS-6 of 89.7% for WHO grade I meningiomas (n = 29); 57.1% for WHO grade II (n = 21); and 0 % for WHO grade III (n = 12). For all grades (n = 86), including unknown grades, PFS-6 was 58.1%. SSTR-targeted PRRT allowed us to achieve prolonged PFS-6 in patients with WHO grade I and II progressive refractory meningiomas, except the most aggressive WHO grade II tumors. Large scale randomized trials are warranted for the better integration of PRRT in the treatment of refractory meningioma into clinical practice guidelines.
68Ga-DOTATOC PET could be a noninvasive, highly sensitive, and specific technique for the challenging diagnosis of optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM). Our objective was to report the use and results of 68Ga-DOTATOC PET in suspected ONSM. Twelve subjects who underwent 68Ga-DOTATOC PET for suspected ONSM in our department were retrospectively included. Standardised clinical and radiological data were collected. The PET examination results were classified as positive or negative, and lesion standardised uptake values (SUVmax) were recorded. 68Ga-DOTATOC PET confirmed positive uptake in six cases (SUVmax > 5), leading to ONSM diagnoses followed by radiation therapy in patients with vision loss. Six 68Ga-DOTATOC PET scans were considered negative (SUVmax < 5); these comprised one case of neurosarcoidosis, one cavernous malformation, and four uncertain diagnoses, leading to further investigation. 68Ga-DOTATOC PET was helpful in tumour volume delineation before radiation therapy, leading to a decrease in dose exposure. Noninvasive 68Ga-DOTATOC PET should be performed before treating nonhistologically proven meningiomas with radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery, particularly in cases of uncertain diagnosis with MRI, which characterises most ONSM cases. PET SUVmax thresholds to distinguish meningioma from nonspecific uptake in other lesions need to be adapted to ONSM. 68Ga-DOTATOC PET improves the intraorbital lesion diagnostic approach and therefore impacts therapeutic management.
3 March 2023 in European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Background: Phenotypes of CANVAS are increasingly diversified, including bradykinesia and dysautonomia, so that its primary differential diagnoses are multiple system atrophy‐cerebellar type (MSA‐c), and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). This case series aims to highlight key molecular imaging findings in CANVAS.Cases: We report a case series of six patients with CANVAS who underwent nuclear medicine examinations in our center and 13 patients from the literature. These include 18F‐FDG brain positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of dopamine transporter (DaT) activity, and 123I‐MIBG cardiac scintigraphy of noradrenergic transmission.Conclusions: In CANVAS, 18F‐FDG brain PET mainly shows cerebellar hypometabolism, with preserved brainstem and striatum metabolism, contrasting with SCA3 and MSA‐c. Dopaminergic denervation on scintigraphy seems to be associated with clinical parkinsonism, ranging from normal to severely impaired DaT SPECT. Additionally, 123I‐MIBG cardiac scintigraphy might show denervation in CANVAS, similar to SCA3, but not in most MSA‐c patients.