Somatostatin-receptor imaging of medullary thyroid carcinoma

In-111 pentetreotide scintigraphy of 10 patients with residual or metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma is described. Six patients had sporadic tumor and 4 had MEN IIB. Foci of increased tracer uptake were observed in 9 patients: in the thyroid bed (4 patients), the mediastinum (3 patients.), the shoulder area and left lower abdomen (1 patient), and the left upper abdomen (1 patient). The 10th patient had no abnormal uptake. CT confirmed 2 mediastinal lesions and 2 out of 3 thyroid masses, but did not detect the thyroid remnants or the lesions in the shoulder area and abdomen. Lung lesions < or = 1 cm in diameter and ill-defined liver foci (2 patients) were seen on CT, but not on scintigraphy. Small liver metastases not demonstrated on CT or on scintigraphy were identified at surgery in a MEN IIB patient. Elevated urinary epinephrine was found in 2 out of 4 MEN IIB patients. In one, tracer uptake in the left adrenal corresponded to a mass on CT, to pathological uptake of MIBG and DMSA, and to a tumor removed at surgery. The second patient had peritoneal spread of malignant pheochromocytoma (at surgery), but negative CT and only a single focus in the left lower abdomen on scintigraphy. Somatostatin-receptor imaging is useful for the detection of residual and recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma, and may identify pheochromocytoma in MEN IIB patients.