Abstract:
Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) are a kind of heterogeneous tumors with great difference in invasion and prognosis. In recent years, its incidence and prevalence have increased year by year. The early diagnosis of NEN is difficult. Somatostatin receptor imaging has always been the main method for the diagnosis and staging of NEN patients. The
64Cu and
68Ga labeled somatostatin analogs such as
64Cu-1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane -1, 4, 7, 10-tetraacetic acid-D-Phel-Tyr3-Thr8-octreotide (
64Cu-DOTA-TATE) and
68Ga-DOTA-TATE have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to be used for imaging of NEN and other somatostatin receptor positive tumors. Although
68Ga-DOTA-TATE has been widely used in clinical practice, but due to the high
68Ga β energy limits spatial resolution of PET, and the short half-life also poses a challenge to its transport. In order to overcome the shortcomings of
68Ga, the research of
64Cu-labeled somatostatin analogues has developed rapidly. The longer half-life makes the accessibility of
64Cu-DOTA-TATE higher than
68Ga-DOTA-TATE. Because of its reduced dependence on the on-site cyclotron,
64Cu and it labeled tracer can be transported to PET centers far away, which is very suitable for centralized production and distribution. The authors compared the properties and sources of the two radionuclides, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of
68Ga-DOTA-TATE and
64Cu-DOTA-TATE PET/CT in diagnosis of NEN. From the perspective of imaging performance and supply chain,
64Cu-DOTA-TATE may have more clinical application value and wider development prospects than
68Ga-DOTA-TATE.