Light It Up! The Use of DOTATATE in Diagnosis and Treatment of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

Radiolabeled somatostatin analogs are increasingly used in the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors. Diagnostic imaging with 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT has demonstrated the improved sensitivity in detecting primary and metastatic neuroendocrine lesions compared with conventional imaging and prior generation somatostatin receptor imaging. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy with 177Lu-DOTATATE is now frequently included in the management of neuroendocrine neoplasms, with prospective randomized control studies demonstrating its beneficial impact on survival and quality of life. Nonetheless, peptide rector radionuclide therapy is still considered palliative rather than curative and may be accompanied by adverse effects.