Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy of Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: a Single-Centre Experience

Purpose Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy represents a therapeutic option for neuroendocrine neoplasms; to date, experiences with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy of pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms are still limited. We report our experience with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy of pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasm patients. Materials and Methods Clinical records of 14 pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasm patients (7 female and 7 male) who received at least 2 cycles of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy were retrospectively reviewed. Tumoural uptake of somatostatin analogues at pre-treatment imaging was graded as 2 to 3 in all patients. RECIST criteria were used to evaluate response. Results No treated patient had significant toxicity. Partial response was found in 3 (21.4%) patients, stable disease in 7 (50%), and progressive disease in 4 (28.6%). A statistically significant difference between disease state at enrolment and after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy was found. Conclusions Our data furtherly support peptide receptor radionuclide therapy as a safe and effective treatment of patients affected by pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms allowing disease control in about 71% of patients without showing significant toxicity. Other studies are needed to confirm our results.