68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT in Nonneuroendocrine Tumors: A Pictorial Essay.

Abstract

PET-CT with somatostatin analogs labeled with Ga is increasingly recognized as the best imaging modality for the evaluation of well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However, somatostatin receptor (SSR) is not an exclusive marker for NET. A variety of tumors other than NETs express SSR, leading to a significant risk of false-positive PET/CT results. We illustrate false-positive Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT findings due to high uptake by non-Hodgkin lymphoma, metastatic meningioma, breast cancer, thyroid adenoma, and papillary carcinoma. Although Ga-DOTATATE is a noteworthy tracer for oncological application, pathological conditions with overexpression of SSR should be recognized to prevent misinterpretation of PET/CT images.