High Somatostatin Receptor Expression in Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma Detected by 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiopharmaceuticals

Background:

• Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare soft tissue malignancy.
• Diagnosis and staging often involve imaging modalities like FDG-PET/CT.
• The potential for somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expression in ASPS has not been well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of DOTATOC PET/CT in a patient with suspected pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor and ASPS.
• To evaluate SSTR expression in ASPS lesions and metastases.
• To explore potential novel therapeutic targets for ASPS.

Main Methods:

• A patient with ASPS underwent 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)-PET/CT.
• Subsequent DOTATOC PET/CT was performed due to suspicion of a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.
• Uptake patterns on both PET/CT scans were analyzed.

Main Results:

• DOTATOC PET/CT revealed no uptake in the suspected pancreatic lesion.
• High DOTATOC uptake was observed in the primary ASPS lesion in the scapula.
• Previously unrecognized metastases in the breast and skull also showed high DOTATOC uptake, indicating significant SSTR expression.

Conclusions:

• This is the first report demonstrating DOTATOC uptake in ASPS, suggesting high SSTR expression.
• DOTATOC PET/CT can identify ASPS lesions and metastases.
• The findings raise the prospect of SSTR-targeted radionuclide therapy, such as 177Lu-DOTATATE, for ASPS.