# New Horizons: The Evolution of Nuclear Medicine in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors—A Case Report

## TL;DR

A patient with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors benefited from advanced nuclear medicine techniques, which helped guide surgery and treatment, leading to long-term remission.

## Contribution

Demonstrates the clinical impact of functional imaging and radionuclide therapy in managing PanNETs through a detailed case report.

## Key findings

- Functional imaging guided precise surgical planning and postoperative monitoring.
- Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy contributed to long-term remission despite tumor progression.
- Non-invasive methods like 2D-SWE and SPECT/CT improved liver assessment and treatment outcomes.

## Abstract

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are relatively rare neoplasms with heterogeneous behavior, ranging from indolent to aggressive disease. The evolution of nuclear medicine has allowed the development of an efficient and advanced toolkit for the diagnosis and treatment of PanNETs. Case: A 45-year-old woman was diagnosed with a grade 1 PanNET and multiple liver metastases. She underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, extended liver resection, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Surgical planning was guided by [99mTc]Tc-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC SPECT/CT (single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography) and preoperative [99mTc]Tc-mebrofenin-based functional liver volumetry. Functional liver volumetry based on dynamic [99mTc]Tc-mebrofenin SPECT/CT facilitated precise surgical planning and reliable assessment of the efficacy of parenchymal modulation, thereby aiding in the prevention of post-hepatectomy liver failure. Liver fibrosis was non-invasively evaluated using two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE). Tumor progression was monitored using somatostatin receptor scintigraphy, chromogranin A, and contrast-enhanced CT. Recurrent disease was treated with somatostatin analogues (SSAs) and [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). Despite progression to grade 3 disease (Ki-67 from 1% to 30%), the patient remains alive 53 months post-diagnosis, in complete remission, with an ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) status of 0. Conclusions: Functional imaging played a pivotal role in guiding therapeutic decisions throughout the disease course. This case not only underscores the clinical utility of advanced nuclear imaging but also illustrates the dynamic nature of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The transition from low-grade to high-grade disease highlights the need for further studies on tumor progression mechanisms and the potential role of adjuvant therapies in managing PanNETs.