68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT imaging of indeterminate pulmonary nodules and lung cancer

摘要

Purpose¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is widely used to evaluate indeterminate pulmonary nodules (>IPNs). False positive results occur, especially from active granulomatous nodules. A PET-based imaging agent with superior specificity to ¹⁸F-FDG for IPNs, is badly needed, especially in areas of endemic granulomatous nodules. Somatostatin receptors (SSTR) are expressed in many malignant cells including small cell and non-small cell lung cancers (>NSCLCs). ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE, a positron emitter labeled somatostatin analog, combined with PET/CT imaging, may improve the diagnosis of IPNs over ¹⁸F-FDG by reducing false positives. Our study purpose was to test this hypothesis in our region with high endemic granulomatous IPNs.