SSTR-PET - Ronny Allan - Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

24Mar 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Nuclidium wins award to study NET radiopharmaceutical – Phase 1 Clinical Trial of TraceNET (TM)

What is TraceNETTM TraceNETTM is a a novel copper-based 'radiodiagnostic' for detecting neuroendocrine tumours (NET). The PET imaging agent candidate is the diagnostic component of NUCLIDIUM’s theranostic program, which comprises a true theranostic pair for diagnosing and treating NET patients, leveraging the company’s unique copper-based approach. The Phase 1 program for the diagnostic is the first step in its clinical development and is planned to commence in the first half of 2023. Nuclidium’s TraceNETTM program aims to overcome key limitations of existing radiodiagnostics and their corresponding therapeutics by increasing the sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of NET imaging, including detecting metastases, while reducing the radiation burden for the patient. The TraceNETTM diagnostic consists of an imaging radioisotope (61Cu) and a somatostatin receptor (SSTR) antagonist-targeting molecule that binds with high affinity and specificity to…

01Dec 2022 by Ronny Allan No Comments

In the news – new Neuroendocrine Tumour PET Fluorine-18 based ‘tracer’

Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy

This should be of interest, particularly to Canadians. (Not to be confused with 18F-FDG which is a different scan). For people waiting for imaging tests to diagnose neuroendocrine cancer, time is of the essence. Now, thanks to researchers at the University of Alberta, a new medical imaging agent for PET scans promises to reduce wait times, while costing less to produce and possibly revealing more of some types of cancer tumors. Ralf Schirrmacher, an oncology imaging professor and member of the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta, and his team at the Medical Isotope and Cyclotron Facility on the U of A's South Campus have been using a state-of-the-art cyclotron—a machine that already supplies the province with medical isotopes used in diagnostic scans—to create a new imaging compound that will…

05Nov 2022 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Incidental Findings in Somatostatin Receptor PET (SSTR PET) scans (e.g. Ga68/Cu64)

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, Treatment

Incidental Findings in SSTR PETSomatostatin Receptor (SSTR) PET scans (e.g. Ga68/Cu64) have transformed the imaging landscape for Neuroendocrine Cancer, mainly for well-differentiated NETs, most of which will be somatostatin receptor positive. However, Oncologists/NET Specialists and radiologists must be aware of the various physiologic and other pathologic processes in which cellular expression of SSTR can result in interpretative error. Included in these pitfalls are incidental findings. What is an incidental finding? An incidental finding, also known as an incidentaloma, may be defined as “an incidentally discovered mass or lesion, detected by CT, MRI, or other imaging modality (e.g. PET) performed for an unrelated reason.” An increase in the utilisation of imaging examinations over the past three decades has led to a marked increase in the number of findings detected that are unrelated to the…

19Oct 2022 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

Understanding your Somatostatin Receptor (SSTR) PET Results

Patient Advocacy

Background In my online patient group, there is constant discussion about the meaning of both pictures and words on scan reports. The one that seems to cause the most confusion is PET scans, mainly somatostatin receptor (SSTR) PETs such as Ga68 and Cu64 variants. Worth adding that it's the addition of a nuclear tracer that makes PETs seem different. Generally speaking, the PET hardware is essentially the same. Most have a built-in CT scan, much less frequently an MRI scan. Confusion is often triggered by healthcare system processes where the patient receives the report before the appointment to discuss the results with the referring physician. Cue anxiety because the average patient reader does not understand and certain words cause them to worry, often unnecessary worry. The patient then becomes impatient…

15Apr 2021 by Ronny Allan No Comments

A Diagnostic Imaging Study of 64Cu-SARTATE™ for Neuroendocrine Tumours

Clinical Trials

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email We probably should start to use the term "Somatostatin Receptor PET" (SSTR PET) a bit more. We got used to using the term Ga68 PET but since then we have an approved copper version known as 64Cu Dotatate (commercial brand name in US DETECTNET™). Now we have another in the clinical trial pipeline and will add others as they come onto my radar.Ga68 Dotatate/TOC/NOC - click hereCu64 Dotatate (DetectNET) - click hereA Diagnostic Imaging Study of 64Cu-SARTATE™ Using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) on Patients With Known or Suspected NETsReference: NCT04438304Trial status: RecruitingThe purpose of this study is to assess the performance of imaging agent 64Cu-SARTATE in participants with known or suspected Gastroenteropancreatic…

15Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

Neuroendocrine Tumours – now you see them, now you don’t!

Treatment

In my post entitled "If you can see it, you can detect it", I listed the different types of scanning techniques and technology to find evidence of disease in Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs). Of course, while scans, blood and (current) marker tests can give some pretty big and important clues, "tissue is the issue" to determine type.Even after formal diagnosis, seeing all the tumours can be a challenge with NETs. In the article I quoted above, I indicated that scans for NETs can be analogous to picking 'horses for courses'. For example, most NETs have somatostatin receptors and can often be seen better on functional scans e.g. somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) or somatostatin receptor PET (SSTR-PET), combined with the use of radionuclides designed specifically for this purpose e.g. In111, Tc99m, Ga68,…

28Jun 2020 by Ronny Allan No Comments

SSTR PET – Ga68-DOTA-JR11 vs Ga68-DOTATATE

Clinical Trials

Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on whatsapp WhatsApp Share on email Email Headline - 68Ga-DOTA-JR11 was found to detect significantly more liver lesions than 68Ga-DOTATATE; however, 68Ga-DOTATATE detected more bone lesions than 68Ga-DOTA-JR11.Although it had been in trial use for some years in Europe and elsewhere, the formal approval of 68Ga-DOTATATE has led to an increase in the development of other radionuclides, some in conjunction with therapeutic options (i.e. PRRT) making a 'theranostic' approach to diagnosing, treating and surveillance Neuroendocrine Cancer patients with somatostatin receptor positive tumours. I also wrote last year about another option called 64Cu, something already available in Europe, in particular Denmark.In another development which has been running for some time, a Ga68 variant called 68Ga-DOTA-JR11 has been in trial…

21Jul 2018 by Ronny Allan 16 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer: Ga68 PET Scan – a game changer?

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship, Treatment

This is not my personal scan When I was offered my very first Ga68 PET/CT at a 6 monthly surveillance meeting in May 2018, I was both excited and apprehensive. Let me explain below why I had a mix of emotions. You can read about my Ga68 PET experience here. I was diagnosed in 2010 with metastatic NETs clearly showing on CT scan, the staging was confirmed via an Octreotide Scan which in addition pointed out two further deposits above the diaphragm (one of which has since been dealt with). In addition to routine surveillance via CT scan, I had two further Octreotide Scans in 2011 and 2013 following 3 surgeries, these confirmed the surveillance CT findings of the remnant disease. The third scan in 2013 highlighted an additional lesion…

31May 2018 by Ronny Allan 17 Comments

All you need to know about Somatostatin Receptor PET/CT Scans for Neuroendocrine Tumours

Treatment

Cancer is a growth industry ...literally! More people are being diagnosed than ever before. Fortunately, more people are surviving than ever before. This is against a backdrop of better awareness, better screening in the big population cancers, and to a certain extent better diagnostic tools, all of which is leading to earlier diagnosis.So how does this affect Neuroendocrine Cancer?According to the latest SEER database figures for Neuroendocrine Cancer, one reason for the 7 fold increase in incidence rates since the 1970s is all of those things above including better diagnostics. This has led to a revised set of epidemiological information in many countries that have made the effort to accurately update their cancer registries and there are consistent reports of incidence rates way beyond the recognised rare thresholds. Another piece…

24Oct 2017 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments

Round up of NANETS 2017 – Let’s talk about NETs #NANETS2017

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, Treatment

NANETS (North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society) is one of the biggest NET conferences, bringing together NET Specialists from around the world to discuss state-of-the-art treatment modalities, new therapies, and ongoing controversies in the field of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (Tumors and Carcinomas). This is fairly complex stuff but much of it will be familiar to many. I’ve filtered out several outputs from the conference which I think are both relevant and topical to patients. The list is below allowing you to easily peruse and read further via linkages if you need to read more. Remember, some of these are extracts so do not contain all the details of the research or study – although some of the linkages will take you to in-depth information if that’s your bag. Where applicable, I’ve also linked…

05Nov 2016 by Ronny Allan 8 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – If you can see it, you can detect it!

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship

Content in my review queue (line). BackgroundScanning is a key diagnostic support and surveillance tool for any cancer. Even though you have elevated bloods or urine (....or not), a picture of your insides is really like a thousand words.... and each picture has a story behind it. Scanning can be a game changer in the hunt for tumours and although scans do not normally confirm the cancer type and grade, they certainly help with that piece of detective work and are key in the staging of the cancer.When I read stories of people in a difficult diagnosis, I always find myself saying 'a scan might resolve this' and I always suggest people should try to get one. Even in the case of a story about late diagnosis or a misdiagnosis, I find myself thinking…