TY - JOUR A1 - Weich, Alexander A1 - Werner, Rudolf A. A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Hartrampf, Philipp E. A1 - Serfling, Sebastian E. A1 - Scheurlen, Michael A1 - Wester, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Meining, Alexander A1 - Kircher, Stefan A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro A1 - Pomper, Martin G. A1 - Rowe, Steven P. A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Kircher, Malte T1 - CXCR4-Directed PET/CT in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Neuroendocrine Carcinomas JF - Diagnostics N2 - We aimed to elucidate the diagnostic potential of the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)-directed positron emission tomography (PET) tracer \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor in patients with poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC), relative to the established reference standard \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/computed tomography (CT). In our database, we retrospectively identified 11 treatment-naïve patients with histologically proven NEC, who underwent \(^{18}\)F-FDG and CXCR4-directed PET/CT for staging and therapy planning. The images were analyzed on a per-patient and per-lesion basis and compared to immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of CXCR4 from PET-guided biopsies. \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor visualized tumor lesions in 10/11 subjects, while \(^{18}\)F-FDG revealed sites of disease in all 11 patients. Although weak to moderate CXCR4 expression could be corroborated by IHC in 10/11 cases, \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT detected significantly more tumor lesions (102 vs. 42; total lesions, n = 107; p < 0.001). Semi-quantitative analysis revealed markedly higher 18F-FDG uptake as compared to \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor (maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUV) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) of cancerous lesions, SUVmax: 12.8 ± 9.8 vs. 5.2 ± 3.7; SUVmean: 7.4 ± 5.4 vs. 3.1 ± 3.2, p < 0.001; and, TBR 7.2 ± 7.9 vs. 3.4 ± 3.0, p < 0.001). Non-invasive imaging of CXCR4 expression in NEC is inferior to the reference standard \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT. KW - CXCR4 KW - NET KW - NEC KW - 68Ga-Pentixafor KW - 18F-FDG Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234231 SN - 2075-4418 VL - 11 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weich, Alexander A1 - Rogoll, Dorothee A1 - Gawlas, Sophia A1 - Mayer, Lars A1 - Weich, Wolfgang A1 - Pongracz, Judit A1 - Kudlich, Theodor A1 - Meining, Alexander A1 - Scheurlen, Michael T1 - Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates CXCR4 expression and [\(^{68}\)Ga] Pentixafor internalization in neuroendocrine tumor cells JF - Diagnostics N2 - Loss of Somatostatin Receptor 2 (SSTR2) expression and rising CXC Chemokine Receptor Type 4 (CXCR4) expression are associated with dedifferentiation in neuroendocrine tumors (NET). In NET, CXCR4 expression is associated with enhanced metastatic and invasive potential and worse prognosis but might be a theragnostic target. Likewise, activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling may promote a more aggressive phenotype in NET. We hypothesized an interaction of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway with CXCR4 expression and function in NET. The NET cell lines BON-1, QGP-1, and MS-18 were exposed to Wnt inhibitors (5-aza-CdR, quercetin, and niclosamide) or the Wnt activator LiCl. The expressions of Wnt pathway genes and of CXCR4 were studied by qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The effects of Wnt modulators on uptake of the CXCR4 ligand [\(^{68}\)Ga] Pentixafor were measured. The Wnt activator LiCl induced upregulation of CXCR4 and Wnt target gene expression. Treatment with the Wnt inhibitors had opposite effects. LiCl significantly increased [\(^{68}\)Ga] Pentixafor uptake, while treatment with Wnt inhibitors decreased radiopeptide uptake. Wnt pathway modulation influences CXCR4 expression and function in NET cell lines. Wnt modulation might be a tool to enhance the efficacy of CXCR4-directed therapies in NET or to inhibit CXCR4-dependent proliferative signaling. The underlying mechanisms for the interaction of the Wnt pathway with CXCR4 expression and function have yet to be clarified. KW - neuroendocrine tumor KW - NET KW - Wnt KW - β-catenin KW - CXCR4 KW - [\(^{68}\)Ga] Pentixafor KW - BON-1 KW - QGP-1 KW - MS-18 Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228914 SN - 2075-4418 VL - 11 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brand, Markus A1 - Reimer, Stanislaus A1 - Reibetanz, Joachim A1 - Flemming, Sven A1 - Kornmann, Marko A1 - Meining, Alexander T1 - Endoscopic full thickness resection vs. transanal endoscopic microsurgery for local treatment of rectal neuroendocrine tumors - a retrospective analysis JF - International Journal of Colorectal Disease N2 - Purpose Local treatment of small well-differentiated rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is recommended by current guidelines. However, although several endoscopic methods have been established, the highest R0 rate is achieved by transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM). Since a recently published study about endoscopic full thickness resection (eFTR) showed a R0 resection rate of 100%, the aim of this study was to evaluate both methods (eFTR vs. TEM). Methods We retrospectively analyzed all patients with rectal NET treated either by TEM (1999–2018) or eFTR (2016–2019) in two tertiary centers (University Hospital Wuerzburg and Ulm). We analyzed clinical, procedural, and histopathological outcomes in both groups. Results Twenty-eight patients with rectal NET received local treatment (TEM: 13; eFTR: 15). Most tumors were at stage T1a and grade G1 or G2 (in the TEM group two G3 NETs were staged T2 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy). In both groups, similar outcomes for en bloc resection rate, R0 resection rate, tumor size, or specimen size were found. No procedural adverse events were noted. Mean procedure time in the TEM group was 48.9 min and 19.2 min in the eFTR group. Conclusion eFTR is a convincing method for local treatment of small rectal NETs combining high safety and efficacy with short interventional time. KW - rectum KW - neuroendocrine tumor (NET) KW - transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) KW - endoscopic full thickness resection (eFTR) KW - full-thickness resection device (FTRD) Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234833 SN - 0179-1958 VL - 36 ER -