The Journal of Nuclear Medicine has published the NANETS/SNMMI Consensus Statement on Patient Selection and Appropriate Use of 177Lu-DOTATATE Peptide Receptor Radio-nuclide Therapy.

The consensus statement is the result of a collaborative effort between the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI). This is the second publication as part of that collaboration, and it advances the commitment of both societies to improve NET disease management through increased research and educational opportunities, increase the competencies of nuclear medicine practitioners and promote new advances in the science of nuclear medicine.

Thomas A. Hope, MD, lead author of the statement, is Director of Molecular Therapy for the Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics Clinical Section in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. He also serves as co-chair of the Cancer Center’s new Molecular Imaging & Radionuclide Therapy Site Committee.
"The guidelines are the product of a truly collaborative discussion, bringing together an even balance of nuclear and medical oncologists to educate communities about the proper way to administer PRRT."

Jonathan R. Strosberg, MD, senior author of the guidelines, is a professor at Moffitt Cancer Center and head of the neuroendocrine tumor division.

"The first guidelines focused on HOW to perform PRRT, while this most recent publication dealt with WHO to treat: identifying where treatment is indicated and where it is contraindicated."
While PRRT is still a relatively new treatment in North America, it is being rolled out in many institutions.

"There are a lot of questions about the appropriate standard of care, and this is not a simple treatment to administer. The guidelines answer questions about how to set up a program and who are the most appropriate patients to receive treatment. There is also an 'appropriateness' scale and a discussion of where treatment is contraindicated."
Other contributing authors of the guidelines are: Lisa Bodei, MD, PhD; Jennifer A. Chan, MD, MPH; Ghassan El-Haddad, MD; Nicholas Fidelman, MD; Pamela L. Kunz, MD; Josh Mailman; Yusuf Menda, MD; David C. Metz, MD; Erik S. Mittra, MD, PhD; Daniel A. Pryma, MD; Diane L. Reidy-Lagunes, MD; and Simron Singh, MD, MPH, FRCPC.