RESUMO
CONTEXT: We investigated the role of Gallium 68 dodecanetetraacetic acid Tyr3-octreotide (68Ga-DOTATOC) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in detecting somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) in 19 patients with metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) and explored the activity of yttrium-90/lutetium-177 (90Y/177Lu-DOTATOC) peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). CASE DESCRIPTION AND METHODS: 68Ga uptake in metastatic sites was scored in terms of intensity and anatomical uptake distribution of standard uptake value (SUV). Tissue expression of SSTR2A and SSTR5 was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on primary tumors. Eight (42%) patients displayed radiometabolic uptake of any-grade intensity with focal and limited distribution. Two (11%) patients displayed strong uptake in multiple lesions and were treated with PRRT. Both obtained an overall disease control lasting 4 and 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ACC can express SSTRs as detected by IHC and 68Ga-DOTATOC PET. SSTRs-based PRRT may represent a potential treatment opportunity for a minority of patients with advanced ACC. This treatment modality deserves further investigation.