TY - JOUR A1 - Li, Xiang A1 - Samnick, Samuel A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Israel, Ina A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Kreissl, Michael C. A1 - Bauer, Wolfgang T1 - 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT for the detection of inflammation of large arteries: correlation with18F-FDG, calcium burden and risk factors N2 - Background: Ga-[1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N0,N00,N000-tetraacetic acid]-d-Phe1,Tyr3-octreotate (DOTATATE) positron emission tomography (PET) is commonly used for the visualization of somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-positive neuroendocrine tumors. SSTR is also known to be expressed on macrophages, which play a major role in inflammatory processes in the walls of coronary arteries and large vessels. Therefore, imaging SSTR expression has the potential to visualize vulnerable plaques. We assessed 68Ga-DOTATATE accumulation in large vessels in comparison to 18F-2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake, calcified plaques (CPs), and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: Sixteen consecutive patients with neuroendocrine tumors or thyroid cancer underwent both 68Ga-DOTATATE and 18F-FDG PET/CT for staging or restaging purposes. Detailed clinical data, including common cardiovascular risk factors, were recorded. For a separate assessment, they were divided into a high-risk and a low-risk group. In each patient, we calculated the maximum target-to-background ratio (TBR) of eight arterial segments. The correlation of the TBRmean of both tracers with risk factors including plaque burden was assessed. Results: The mean TBR of 68Ga-DOTATATE in all large arteries correlated significantly with the presence of CPs (r = 0.52; p < 0.05), hypertension (r = 0.60; p < 0.05), age (r = 0.56; p < 0.05), and uptake of 18F-FDG (r = 0.64; p < 0.01). There was one significant correlation between 18F-FDG uptake and hypertension (0.58; p < 0.05). Out of the 37 sites with the highest focal 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake, 16 (43.2%) also had focal 18F-FDG uptake. Of 39 sites with the highest 18F-FDG uptake, only 11 (28.2%) had a colocalized 68Ga-DOTATATE accumulation. Conclusions: In this series of cancer patients, we found a stronger association of increased 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake with known risk factors of cardiovascular disease as compared to 18F-FDG, suggesting a potential role for plaque imaging in large arteries. Strikingly, we found that focal uptake of 68Ga-DOTATATE and 18F-FDG does not colocalize in a significant number of lesions. KW - Medizin KW - Atherosclerotic plaque KW - 68Ga-DOTATATE KW - Somatostatin receptor KW - Cardiovascular risk factors KW - Macrophage Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76231 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Werner, Rudolf A. A1 - Bluemel, Christina A1 - Lueckerath, Katharina A1 - Muegge, Dirk O. A1 - Strate, Alexander A1 - Haenscheid, Heribert A1 - Schirbel, Andreas A1 - Allen-Auerbach, Martin S. A1 - Bundschuh, Ralph A. A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Herrmann, Ken T1 - Prediction of clinically relevant hyperkalemia in patients treated with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy JF - EJNMMI Research N2 - Background Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is applied in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors. Co-infused amino acids (AA) should prevent nephrotoxicity. The aims of this study were to correlate the incidence of AA-induced hyperkalemia (HK) (≥5.0 mmol/l) and to identify predictors of AA-induced severe HK (>6.0). Methods In 38 patients, standard activity of \(^{177}Lu\)-labelled somatostatin analogs was administered. Pre-therapeutic kidney function was assessed by renal scintigraphy and laboratory tests. For kidney protection, AA was co-infused. Biochemical parameters (potassium, glomerular filtration rate, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), sodium, phosphate, chloride, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)) were obtained prior to 4 and 24 h after the AA infusion. Incidence of HK (≥5.0) was correlated with pre-therapeutic kidney function and serum parameters. Formulas for the prediction of severe hyperkalemia (>6.0) were computed and prospectively validated. Results At 4 h, HK (≥5.0) was present in 94.7% with severe HK (>6.0) in 36.1%. Values normalized after 24 h in 84.2%. Pre-therapeutic kidney function did not correlate with the incidence of severe HK. Increases in K+ were significantly correlated with decreases in phosphate (r = −0.444, p < 0.005) and increases in BUN (r = 0.313, p = 0.056). A baseline BUN of >28 mg/dl had a sensitivity of 84.6% and a specificity of 60.0% (AUC = 0.75) in predicting severe HK of >6.0 (phosphate, AUC = 0.37). Computing of five standard serum parameters (potassium, BUN, sodium, phosphate, LDH) resulted in a sensitivity of 88.9% and a specificity of 79.3% for the prediction of severe HK >6.0 (accuracy = 81.6%). Conclusions A combination of serum parameters predicted prospectively the occurrence of relevant HK with an accuracy of 81.6% underlining its potential utility for identifying ‘high-risk’ patients prone to PRRT. KW - amino acids KW - kidney function KW - hyperkalemia KW - PRRT KW - NET KW - MAG3 Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124963 VL - 4 IS - 74 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lückerath, Katharina A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Malzahn, Uwe A1 - Samnick, Samuel A1 - Einsele, Herrmann A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Herrmann, Ken A1 - Knop, Stefan T1 - 18FDG-PET/CT for prognostic stratification of patients with multiple myeloma relapse after stem cell transplantation N2 - The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) in 37 patients with a history of multiple myeloma (MM) and suspected or confirmed recurrence after stem cell transplantation (SCT). All patients had been heavily pre-treated. Time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were correlated to a number of different PET-derived as well as clinical parameters. Impact on patient management was assessed. Absence of FDG-avid MM foci was a positive prognostic factor for both TTP and OS (p<0.01). Presence of >10 focal lesions correlated with both TTP (p<0.01) and OS (p<0.05). Interestingly, presence of >10 lesions in the appendicular skeleton proved to have the strongest association with disease progression. Intensity of glucose uptake and presence of extramedullary disease were associated with shorter TTP (p=0.037 and p=0.049, respectively). Manifestations in soft tissue structures turned out to be a strong negative predictor for both, TTP and OS (p<0.01, respectively). PET resulted in a change of management in 30% of patients. Our data underline the prognostic value of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in MM patients also in the setting of post-SCT relapse. PET/CT has a significant impact on patient management. KW - 18FDG-PET/CT KW - Multiple myeloma KW - molecular imaging KW - FDG-PET/CT Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113107 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Buder, Kristina A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Kreissl, Michael C. A1 - Schirbel, Andreas A1 - Herrmann, Ken A1 - Schnack, Alexander A1 - Bröcker, Eva-Bettina A1 - Goebeler, Matthias A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Becker, Jürgen C. T1 - "Somatostatin receptor expression in Merkel cell carcinoma as target for molecular imaging" N2 - Background Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare cutaneous neoplasm with increasing incidence, aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Somatostatin receptors (SSTR) are expressed in MCC and represent a potential target for both imaging and treatment. Methods To non-invasively assess SSTR expression in MCC using PET and the radiotracers [68Ga]DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (DOTATOC) or -octreotate (DOTATATE) as surrogate for tumor burden. In 24 patients with histologically proven MCC SSTR-PET was performed and compared to results of computed tomography (CT). Results SSTR-PET detected primary and metastatic MCC lesions. On a patient-based analysis, sensitivity of SSTR-PET was 73% for nodal metastases, 100% for bone, and 67% for soft-tissue metastases, respectively. Notably, brain metastases were initially detected by SSTR-PET in 2 patients, whereas liver and lung metastases were diagnosed exclusively by CT. SSTR-PET showed concordance to CT results in 20 out of 24 patients. Four patients (17%) were up-staged due to SSTR-PET and patient management was changed in 3 patients (13%). Conclusion SSTR-PET showed high sensitivity for imaging bone, soft tissue and brain metastases, and particularly in combination with CT had a significant impact on clinical stage and patient management. KW - Merkel cell carcinoma KW - Molecular imaging KW - Somatostatin receptor expression KW - Positron emission tomography Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110326 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werner, Rudolf A. A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Bluemel, Christina A1 - Lückerath, Katharina A1 - Schirbel, Andreas A1 - Strate, Alexander A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Herrmann, Ken T1 - Influence of the amount of co-infused amino acids on post-therapeutic potassium levels in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy N2 - Background Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is routinely used for advanced or metastasized neuroendocrine tumours (NET). To prevent nephrotoxicity, positively charged amino acids (AA) are co-infused. The aim of this study was to correlate the risk for therapy-related hyperkalaemia with the total amount of AA infused. Methods Twenty-two patients undergoing PRRT with standard activities of 177Lu-DOTATATE/-TOC were monitored during two following treatment cycles with co-infusion of 75 and 50 g of AA (L-arginine and L-lysine), respectively. Mean serum levels of potassium and other parameters (glomerular filtration rate [GFR], creatinine, blood urea nitrogen [BUN], phosphate, chloride, lactate dehydrogenase) prior to, 4 h and 24 h after AA infusion were compared. Results Self-limiting hyperkalaemia (>5.0 mmol/l) resolving after 24 h occurred in 91% (20/22) of patients in both protocols. Potassium levels, BUN, creatinine, GFR, phosphate, chloride and LDH showed a similar range at 4 h after co-infusion of 75 or 50 g of AA, respectively (p > 0.05). Only GFR and creatinine levels at 24 h varied significantly between the two co-infusion protocols (p < 0.05). Conclusions Hyperkalaemia is a frequent side effect of AA infusion in PRRT. Varying the dose of co-infused amino acids did not impact on the incidence and severity of hyperkalaemia. KW - NET KW - PRRT KW - Hyperkalaemia KW - Arginine KW - Lysine Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110617 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lückerath, Katharina A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Albert, Christa A1 - Herrmann, Ken A1 - Jörg, Gerhard A1 - Samnick, Samuel A1 - Einsele, Herrmann A1 - Knop, Stefan A1 - Buck, Andreas K. T1 - \(^{11}\)C-Methionine-PET: a novel and sensitive tool for monitoring of early response to treatment in multiple myeloma JF - Oncotarget N2 - Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an essentially incurable hematologic malignancy. However, new treatment modalities and novel drugs have been introduced and thus additional tools for therapy monitoring are increasingly needed. Therefore, we evaluated the radiotracers \(^{11}\)C-Methionine (paraprotein-biosynthesis) and \(^{18}\)F-FDG (glucose-utilization) for monitoring response to anti-myeloma-therapy and outcome prediction. Influence of proteasome-inhibition on radiotracer-uptake of different MM cell-lines and patient-derived CD138\(^{+}\) plasma cells was analyzed and related to tumor-biology. Mice xenotransplanted with MM. 1S tumors underwent MET- and FDG-\(\mu\)PET. Tumor-to-background ratios before and after 24 h, 8 and 15 days treatment with bortezomib were correlated to survival. Treatment reduced both MET and FDG uptake; changes in tracer-retention correlated with a switch from high to low CD138-expression. In xenotransplanted mice, MET-uptake significantly decreased by 30-79% as early as 24 h after bortezomib injection. No significant differences were detected thus early with FDG. This finding was confirmed in patient-derived MM cells. Importantly, early reduction of MET-but not FDG-uptake correlated with improved survival and reduced tumor burden in mice. Our results suggest that MET is superior to FDG in very early assessment of response to anti-myeloma-therapy. Early changes in MET-uptake have predictive potential regarding response and survival. MET-PET holds promise to individualize therapies in MM in future. KW - positron emission tomography KW - imaging techniques KW - experience KW - \(^{11}\)C-Methionine-PET KW - treatment response KW - molecular imaging KW - multiple myeloma KW - management KW - \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT KW - bone disease KW - stem-cell transplantation KW - esophagogastric junction Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148688 VL - 6 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Linsenmann, Thomas A1 - Lückerath, Katharina A1 - Samnick, Samuel A1 - Herrmann, Ken A1 - Stoffer, Carolin A1 - Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Löhr, Mario A1 - Monoranu, Camelia-Maria T1 - Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Glioblastoma Multiforme—A Suitable Target for Somatostatin Receptor-Based Imaging and Therapy? JF - PLoS One N2 - Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) have been shown to promote malignant growth and to correlate with poor prognosis. [1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-NN′,N″,N′″-tetraacetic acid]-d-Phe1,Tyr3-octreotate (DOTATATE) labeled with Gallium-68 selectively binds to somatostatin receptor 2A (SSTR2A) which is specifically expressed and up-regulated in activated macrophages. On the other hand, the role of SSTR2A expression on the cell surface of glioma cells has not been fully elucidated yet. The aim of this study was to non-invasively assess SSTR2A expression of both glioma cells as well as macrophages in GBM. Methods 15 samples of patient-derived GBM were stained immunohistochemically for macrophage infiltration (CD68), proliferative activity (Ki67) as well as expression of SSTR2A. Anti-CD45 staining was performed to distinguish between resident microglia and tumor-infiltrating macrophages. In a subcohort, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using \(^{68}Ga-DOTATATE\) was performed and the semiquantitatively evaluated tracer uptake was compared to the results of immunohistochemistry. Results The amount of microglia/macrophages ranged from <10% to >50% in the tumor samples with the vast majority being resident microglial cells. A strong SSTR2A immunostaining was observed in endothelial cells of proliferating vessels, in neurons and neuropile. Only faint immunostaining was identified on isolated microglial and tumor cells. Somatostatin receptor imaging revealed areas of increased tracer accumulation in every patient. However, retention of the tracer did not correlate with immunohistochemical staining patterns. Conclusion SSTR2A seems not to be overexpressed in GBM samples tested, neither on the cell surface of resident microglia or infiltrating macrophages, nor on the surface of tumor cells. These data suggest that somatostatin receptor directed imaging and treatment strategies are less promising in GBM. KW - glioma KW - positron emission tomography KW - glioblastoma multiforme KW - macrophages KW - somatostatin KW - microglial cells KW - immunostaining KW - magnetic resonance imaging Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125498 VL - 10 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Philipp-Abbrederis, Kathrin A1 - Herrmann, Ken A1 - Knop, Stefan A1 - Schottelius, Margret A1 - Eiber, Matthias A1 - Lückerath, Katharina A1 - Pietschmann, Elke A1 - Habringer, Stefan A1 - Gerngroß, Carlos A1 - Franke, Katharina A1 - Rudelius, Martina A1 - Schirbel, Andreas A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Schwamborn, Kristina A1 - Steidle, Sabine A1 - Hartmann, Elena A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Kropf, Saskia A1 - Beer, Ambros J A1 - Peschel, Christian A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Buck, Andreas K A1 - Schwaiger, Markus A1 - Götze, Katharina A1 - Wester, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Keller, Ulrich T1 - In vivo molecular imaging of chemokine receptor CXCR4 expression in patients with advanced multiple myeloma JF - EMBO Molecular Medicine N2 - CXCR4 is a G-protein-coupled receptor that mediates recruitment of blood cells toward its ligand SDF-1. In cancer, high CXCR4 expression is frequently associated with tumor dissemination andpoor prognosis. We evaluated the novel CXCR4 probe [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor for invivo mapping of CXCR4 expression density in mice xenografted with human CXCR4-positive MM cell lines and patients with advanced MM by means of positron emission tomography (PET). [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor PET provided images with excellent specificity and contrast. In 10 of 14 patients with advanced MM [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor PET/CT scans revealed MM manifestations, whereas only nine of 14 standard [\(^{18}\)F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT scans were rated visually positive. Assessment of blood counts and standard CD34\(^{+}\) flow cytometry did not reveal significant blood count changes associated with tracer application. Based on these highly encouraging data on clinical PET imaging of CXCR4 expression in a cohort of MM patients, we conclude that [\(^{68}\)Ga]Pentixafor PET opens a broad field for clinical investigations on CXCR4 expression and for CXCR4-directed therapeutic approaches in MM and other diseases. KW - FDG PET/CT KW - cells KW - CXCR4/SDF-1 KW - CXCR4 KW - multiple myeloma KW - positron emission tomography KW - chemokine receptor KW - in vivo imaging KW - malignancies KW - involvement KW - microenvironment KW - survival KW - cancer KW - autologous transplantation KW - bone disease Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148738 VL - 7 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werner, Rudolf A. A1 - Beykan, Seval A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro A1 - Lückerath, Katharina A1 - Weich, Alexander A1 - Scheurlen, Michael A1 - Bluemel, Christina A1 - Herrmann, Ken A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Lassmann, Michael A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Hänscheid, Heribert T1 - The impact of \(^{177}\)Lu-octreotide therapy on \(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3 clearance is not predictive for late nephropathy JF - Oncotarget N2 - Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors may lead to kidney deterioration. This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of \(^{99m}\)Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (\(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3) clearance for the early detection of PRRT-induced changes on tubular extraction (TE). TE rate (TER) was measured prior to 128 PRRT cycles (7.6±0.4 GBq \(^{177}\)Lu-octreotate/octreotide each) in 32 patients. TER reduction during PRRT was corrected for age-related decrease and analyzed for the potential to predict loss of glomerular filtration (GF). The GF rate (GFR) as measure for renal function was derived from serum creatinine. The mean TER was 234 ± 53 ml/min/1.73 m² before PRRT (baseline) and 221 ± 45 ml/min/1.73 m² after a median follow-up of 370 days. The age-corrected decrease (mean: -3%, range: -27% to +19%) did not reach significance (p=0.09) but significantly correlated with the baseline TER (Spearman p=-0.62, p<0.001). Patients with low baseline TER showed an improved TER after PRRT, high decreases were only observed in individuals with high baseline TER. Pre-therapeutic TER data were inferior to plasma creatinine-derived GFR estimates in predicting late nephropathy. TER assessed by \(^{99m}\)Tc-MAG3­clearance prior to and during PRRT is not suitable as early predictor of renal injury and an increased risk for late nephropathy. KW - renal scintigraphy KW - neuroendocrine tumor KW - 177Lu KW - MAG3 KW - PRRT Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-177318 VL - 7 IS - 27 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Lückerath, Katharina A1 - Kleinlein, Irene A1 - Monoranu, Camelia Maria A1 - Linsenmann, Thomas A1 - Kessler, Almuth F. A1 - Rudelius, Martina A1 - Kropf, Saskia A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo A1 - Wester, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Löhr, Mario A1 - Herrmann, Ken T1 - \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor-PET/CT for Imaging of Chemokine Receptor 4 Expression in Glioblastoma JF - Theranostics N2 - Chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4) has been reported to be overexpressed in glioblastoma (GBM) and to be associated with poor survival. This study investigated the feasibility of non-invasive CXCR4-directed imaging with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) using the radiolabelled chemokine receptor ligand \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor. 15 patients with clinical suspicion on primary or recurrent glioblastoma (13 primary, 2 recurrent tumors) underwent \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor-PET/CT for assessment of CXCR4 expression prior to surgery. O-(2-\(^{18}\)F-fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (\(^{18}\)F-FET) PET/CT images were available in 11/15 cases and were compared visually and semi-quantitatively (SUV\(_{max}\), SUV\(_{mean}\)). Tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) were calculated for both PET probes. \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor-PET/CT results were also compared to histological CXCR4 expression on neuronavigated surgical samples. \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor-PET/CT was visually positive in 13/15 cases with SUV\(_{mean}\) and SUV\(_{max}\) of 3.0±1.5 and 3.9±2.0 respectively. Respective values for \(^{18}\)F-FET were 4.4±2.0 (SUV\(_{mean}\)) and 5.3±2.3 (SUV\(_{max}\)). TBR for SUV\(_{mean}\) and SUV\(_{max}\) were higher for \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor than for \(^{18}\)F-FET (SUV\(_{mean}\) 154.0±90.7 vs. 4.1±1.3; SUV\(_{max}\) 70.3±44.0 and 3.8±1.2, p<0.01), respectively. Histological analysis confirmed CXCR4 expression in tumor areas with high \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor uptake; regions of the same tumor without apparent \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor uptake showed no or low receptor expression. In this pilot study, \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor retention has been observed in the vast majority of glioblastoma lesions and served as readout for non-invasive determination of CXCR4 expression. Given the paramount importance of the CXCR4/SDF-1 axis in tumor biology, \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor-PET/CT might prove a useful tool for sensitive, non-invasive in-vivo quantification of CXCR4 as well as selection of patients who might benefit from CXCR4-directed therapy. KW - imaging KW - chemokine receptor-4 KW - glioblastoma KW - positron emission tomography/computed tomography KW - \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168174 VL - 6 IS - 3 ER -