The aim of this project is to evaluate the possibility to use radiolabelled somatostatin analogues for therapy of neuroendocrine tumours.
Many neuroendocrine tumours have an increased number of somatostatin receptors.
Octreotide is a somatostatin analogue with a longer biological half-time than the native hormone, and is therefore more suitable for in vivo applications. Octreotide can be labelled with e.g. indium-111, and is today clinically used for somatostatin receptor scintigraphy to localise primary and metastatic tumours, expressing somatostatin receptors. Highest ratios were found in some endocrine pancreatic tumours and in midgut carcinoid tumours, while the ratios were lower for medullary thyroid tumours. Results from these studies indicate a possibility to use radiolabelled octreotide for tumour therapy. Somatostatin receptor imaging in patients with neuroendocrine tumours.