HOW SYDNEY VITAL RESEARCH IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
A PARADIGM SHIFT IN IMAGING NEUROENDOCRINE TUMOURS
Sydney Vital Flagship 2 researchers have developed a novel proposal for the multi - parametric scoring of dual PET ( Positron Emission Tomography ) imaging in neuroendocrine tumours . PET functional images from two different biological targets ( somatostatin receptor expression with DOTATATE and tumour glycolysis with FDG ) have been combined to develop a categorical grading scheme to allow the complexity of the information contained in the whole body images from these two scans to be encapsulated in a single score - the “ NETPET Grade ”. This allows earlier intervention with different treatments based on the new evidence . This research , published in Theranostics and available here , showed the NETPET Grade to be highly prognostic for survival and for progression - free survival . These results are now being expanded to a larger patient cohort at Royal North Shore Hospital . One of our referring consultants has described the NET PET Grade ’ s impact on his practice as “ transformational ” and occurring only “ once in a career ”. This classification has been adopted by centres in New York , Brussels and London . A second research finding , that incidental neuroendocrine tumours found during emergency appendectomy , which do not display evidence of disease spread outside of the body of the appendix , do not need any further investigation for at least two years is also now implemented in our clinical pathways . The idea of dual tracer imaging being combined into a single grading is now also being explored in prostate cancer patients .
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