Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in Radioiodine-Refractory Thyroid Cancer. A Case Report of Significant Response to ¹⁷⁷Lu-Dotatate Treatment

• Areas of Interest: Theragnostics

We present a case of a 59-year-old woman with follicular thyroid carcinoma who underwent total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine treatment, but posttherapy whole body scan did not show any abnormal radioiodine uptake. However, serum thyroglobulin (Tg) value was rising in absence of thyroglobulin-antibodies (Tg-Ab) during the follow-up, despite negative whole body iodine scans, even after one dose of empirical therapy. We performed ⁶⁸Ga DOTA-TATE PET/CT that showed a sternal bony lesion and several lung nodules with high somatostatin receptor density. Also, on the next day, FDG PET/CT was performed which confirmed the findings. Considering high somatostatin receptor expression in the metastases, ¹⁷⁷Lu DOTA-TATE therapy was planned for her and after two cycles of ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTA-TATE injection, serum throglobulin significantly, dropped, and she claimed that her dyspnea was much better. This was the case of a patient suffering from iodine-refractory follicular thyroid carcinoma, with somatostatin receptors expression, treated with ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTA-TATE, showing a significant response.

Publication History

Article published online:
10 May 2022