111In-Octreoscan SPECT/CT hybrid imaging and 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT in neuroendocrine adenoma of the middle ear (NAME)

Abstract

Neuroendocrine adenoma of the middle ear (NAME) represents a rare tumour consisting of an adenoma with mixed neuroendocrine differentiation. A 40-year-old woman was referred to our attention to further investigate the occurrence of a pathological tissue located in the mastoid process of the left temporal bone depicted by head CT and MRI scans. Histopathological examination revealed an epithelial neoplasm with neuroendocrine differentiation features, consistent with the diagnosis of NAME. In order to obtain an accurate differential diagnosis and confirmation of this rare disease, 111In-Octreoscan single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT and 68Ga-DOTANOC positron emission tomography (PET)/CT were performed, both showing overexpression of somatostatin receptors and thus corroborating the histopathological findings.

Middle Ear Neuroendocrine Tumor Mimicking As Chronic Otitis Media

“…NEN in the middle ear are particularly uncommon, as epithelial cells with neuroendocrine features typically do not reside there [ 4 ]. The gastrointestinal tract and lungs are the most frequent locations for NEN [ 3 ].…”

“…Specifically, CT findings of neuroendocrine adenoma rarely show osteolytic destruction of the ossicles, which can be a helpful radiological sign in differentiating it from cholesteatoma and adenocarcinoma. Hybrid 111In Octreoscan SPECT/CT and PET/CT have higher sensitivity and resolution, and are crucial to confirm the results of the histopathological examination, in order to obtain an accurate differential diagnosis for this rare neoplasia [ 3 ]. In our case, SPECT/CT and PET/CT were not performed due to the unavailability of these modalities in our center.…”

“…Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) in the middle ear are particularly uncommon, as epithelial cells with neuroendocrine features typically do not reside there [ 2 ]. The gastrointestinal tract and lungs are the most frequent locations for NEN [ 3 ]. Previous studies have proposed that middle-ear neuroendocrine tumors originate from neural crest cells [ 4 ].…”

Bioimaging guided pharmaceutical evaluations of nanomedicines for clinical translations

“…CT can easily differentiate tissues with high electron density tissues from relatively electron-poor structures [ 137 ]. Consequently, it is commonly used for orthopedic purposes, as well as for hybrid imaging applications, providing anatomical data with high resolution to aid in the evaluation of PET/SPECT- and FLI-based protocols [ 138 , 139 ]. Its soft-tissue contrast, however, is quite inaccurate.…”