Indium111 pentetreotide single photon emission computed tomography (In111 pentetreotide SPECT): a new technique to evaluate somatostatin receptors in chordomas

Chordomas are rare neoplasms originating along the neuraxis. Although they do not usually show cytological atypia, metastases have been reported in 30 per cent of cases. Survival rates in cases of skull base locations are low, and local recurrence is common after local excision. Radiation therapy is used in post-operative treatment and proton radiation therapy as the primary treatment. In the present paper we present the case of a 50-year-old Caucasian man affected by chordoma of the clivus, with liver and chest metastases, relapsed after several surgical local excisions, to discuss improvements in therapeutic and imaging techniques. Indium111 (In111) pentetreotide single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was employed to assess the presence of somatostatin receptors and to treat the tumour with radiolabelled Y90-DOTA-lanreotide. Imaging, performed 2 months afterwards, showed stable disease in the lungs but a local progression in the metastases, in comparison with pre-treatment uptake. These data suggest the usefulness of radiolabelled somatostatin analogues in the diagnosis and therapy of chordomas.