68Ga DOTANOC PET/CT detects medullary thyroid cancer relapse at bone level

A patient with a history of radical thyroidectomy for medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) was studied by 68Ga [DOTA,1-Nal3]octreotide PET/CT for suspected relapse. PET/CT documented a focal area of somatostatin receptors expression at bone level. Although 68Ga DOTA-peptides PET has been successfully used for the detection of neuroendocrine tumors, its role in MTC patients is still under evaluation. In fact, although deriving from the neural crest, MTC cells may show a variable expression of somatostatin receptors. This case shows that PET/CT with DOTANOC may be a useful complementary imaging modality in patients with well-differentiated MTC.