Objective: The purposes of this article are to increase understanding of the concepts of theranostics and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) as they apply to neuroendocrine tumors (NETs); review the key 1, 2, and 3 clinical trial data leading to the approval of 177Lu-tetraazacyclododecanetetraacetic acid-octreotide (177Lu-DOTATATE); and foster understanding of the practical aspects and future directions of PRRT for NETs.
Conclusion: In January 2018, 177Lu-DOTATATE therapy was approved in the United States (previously approved in Europe in September 2017) for adult patients with somatostatin receptor-positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, including those of the foregut, midgut, and hindgut. The results of the phase 3 Neuroendocrine Tumors Therapy (NETTER-1) trial show favorable outcomes with respect to the primary endpoint of progression-free survival and a host of secondary objectives, including overall survival, objective response rate, and quality of life measures. Patient selection is based on a number of specific factors and should be sequenced carefully with respect to other available therapies, ideally in multidisciplinary cancer conferences. Establishing the therapy at a new institution can be somewhat involved, but once it is established, the therapy is fairly straightforward to administer and is well tolerated with limited side-effects and toxicity. A number of approaches and issues are still to be worked out, and this therapy will continue to be studied and optimized.
Keywords: 177Lu; DOTATATE; NETTER-1 trial; neuroendocrine tumors; peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.