Prospective cohort.
Nineteen clinico-radiologically diagnosed primary JNA patients underwent a 68 Ga-DOTANOC PET-CT scan. Using a dedicated PET/CT scanner, a low-dose head and neck spot CT scan was performed after 45 to 60 minutes of intravenous injection of 2 to 3 mCi(74-111 MBq) of DOTANOC. The primary objective was to assess the intensity and pattern of DOTANOC uptake in these patients.
DOTANOC expression was noted in all cases (n = 19) of primary JNA (100%). The mean (SD) DOTANOC SUVmax ratio of tumor and background was 6.9+/-1.4(range, 3.8-9.5). Intra-cranial extension in all 13/19 patients was prominently visualized due to the absence of DOTANOC uptake in the brain. Compared to the background all stages of JNA showed significant DOTANOC uptake (P < .0001). No difference in uptake between advanced-stage tumors and early tumors was noted (P = .47). A statistically non-significant negative trend was noted for decreasing uptake with increasing age (Spearman correlation coefficient, r = -0.19).
This first study of 68 Ga-DOTANOC-PET/CT scan in JNA demonstrates consistent and reliable uptake activity in all patients irrespective of age and stage. This opens up possibilities to physiological diagnostic imaging with a promise of greater specificity and sensitivity and may have applications in ambivalent diagnostic situations such as the detection of recurrence.
3 Laryngoscope, 131:1509-1515, 2021.