99mTc-HYNIC-TOC increased uptake can mimic malignancy in the pancreas uncinate process at somatostatin receptor SPECT/CT

• Published in: Radiologia medica Vol. 121; no. 3; pp. 225 - 228
• Main Authors: Yamaga, Lilian Yuri Itaya, Neto, Guilherme Campos Carvalho, da Cunha, Marcelo Livorsi, Osawa, Akemi, Oliveira, Julio Cesar Silveira, Fonseca, Ricardo Quartim, Nogueira, Solange Amorim, Wagner, Jairo, Funari, Marcelo Gusmão
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Milan Springer Milan 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Diagnostic Radiology; Female; Humans; Imaging; Interventional Radiology; Liver - metabolism; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Multimodal Imaging; Neuroendocrine Tumors - diagnosis; Neuroradiology; Octreotide - analogs & derivatives; Octreotide - pharmacokinetics; Oncology Imaging; Organotechnetium Compounds - pharmacokinetics; Pancreas - metabolism; Radiology; Radiopharmaceuticals - pharmacokinetics; Receptors, Somatostatin; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Ultrasound; 99mTc-HYNIC-Tyr3-octreotide; SPECT-CT; Somatostatin receptor imaging; Neuroendocrine tumors
• ISSN: 0033-8362; 1826-6983; 1826-6983
• DOI: 10.1007/s11547-015-0593-2

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and frequency of increased physiologic uptake of 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC by the uncinate process of the pancreas in SPECT/CT images. Methods Forty-six scans of 41 patients were evaluated retrospectively. The uptake of 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC was considered to be physiologic in patients with normal findings at dedicated abdominal CT or MR and lack of neoplastic lesions in clinical follow-ups. The intensity of uncinate process uptake was compared to the uptake of the normal liver. Results Focal uptake was attributed to the presence of pancreatic NET in 5 patients. Among the 36 patients without any evidence of malignancy in CT, MR and follow-up, 7 (19.4 %) showed increased uptake in the uncinate process. The intensity of uptake was lesser in 3 (8.3 %), similar in 3 and greater than the normal liver in 1 (2.8 %) case. Conclusion Increased 99mTc-HYNIC-TOC uptake occurred in 19.4 % of those subjects without any evidence of neuroendocrine tumor in the uncinate process.