[en] Endocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract are relatively rare neoplasias that secrete large amounts of peptide hormones such as insulin, glucagon, gastrin, or vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). These substances are usually responsible for the distinct clinical features observed in patients with such tumors. Although most are relatively slow growing tumors, they may lead in early stages to dramatic symptoms such as hypoglycemia, gastric ulcerations, or watery diarrhea. Unfortunately they are often difficult to localize precisely at that stage. Somatostatin, a tetradecapeptide that inhibits peptide hormone release in various sites such as the pituitary, the pancreas, and the gastrointestinal tract, has been shown recently to have beneficial effects when given chronically in the form of a stable non-degradable octapeptide analogue (SMS 201-995) in such gastrointestinal endocrine tumors. This essay demonstrates with autoradiographic techniques the very high density of somatostatin receptors in one case of human gastrinoma. A hematoxylineosin-stained histologic section reveals a well-defined, 2-mm-long tumor surrounded by normal tissue. After incubation of the section with an iodinated somatostatin analogue (¹²⁵I-[Leu, D-Trp, Tyr]-somatostatin-28), the distribution of somatostatin receptors was visualized on tritium-sensitive films after a one-week exposure of the section in x-ray cassettes

[en] The somatostatin (SS) and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor content have been established in 36 primary breast cancers by receptor autoradiography on adjacent tissue sections. Iodine 125 (125I)-EGF was used as radioligand for EGF receptor visualization whereas an iodinated SS-28 analogue or an octapeptide SS analogue were used to measure SS receptors. Six of 36 tumors contained SS receptors, whereas ten of the 36 tumors were shown to contain EGF receptors. None of the tumor samples containing SS receptors were simultaneously EGF receptor positive. In contrast, all SS receptor-positive tumors simultaneously contained steroid receptors. The positive correlation between SS receptors and steroid receptors as well as the negative correlation between SS receptors and EGF receptors therefore suggest that the small percentage of SS receptor-positive breast tumors are a group of differentiated breast tumors with a good prognosis. In these cases, combined hormonetherapy including SS analogs may be of potential interest

[en] The effect of neurotoxic chemical and electrolytical lesions on somatostatin (SS) receptor binding in the septo-hippocampal afferents, pyramidal and granule cells of the rat hippocampus was examined by autoradiography using the stable SS analogue ¹²⁵I-204-090 as radioligand. Electrolytical lesions of the septum did not result in modification of SS binding in the hippocampus. In contrast, both granule cell lesion with colchicine and pyramidal or pyramidal and granule cell lesions with increasing kainic acid doses did result in a specific decrease of binding in the dentate gyrus and hippocampus (CA₁ and CA₃). These results suggest that SS receptors in the hippocampus are probably associated with elements from intrinsic neurons. (Author)

[en] The presence of high numbers of somatostatin receptors seems to be the basis for the successful control by Sandostatin of hormonal hypersecretion by most growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas, endocrine pancreatic tumors, and carcinoids. In this report, we present preliminary data on in vivo somatostatin receptor imaging with a ¹²³I-coupled somatostatin analog (204-090) in patients with these types of tumors

[en] Several dozens of small peptides, widely distributed in the human body, highly potent and important regulators of biological processes in numerous tissues, have been identified in the past several years. One of those, somatostatin, the first of such peptides used in the nuclear medicine field, has been developed as an in vivo labeled diagnostic probe for a variety of pathologies. Basic knowledge on somatostatin, somatostatin receptors and somatostatin target tissues as well as on the clinical implications of this diagnostic tool are briefly reviewed. (authors). 9 refs., 3 figs

[en] The presence of somatostatin receptors was investigated in 57 primary human ovarian tumors using in vitro receptor autoradiography with three different somatostatin radioligands, ¹²⁵I-[Tyr11]-somatostatin-14, ¹²⁵I-[Leu8, D-Trp22, Tyr25]-somatostatin-28, or ¹²⁵I-[Tyr3]-SMS 201-995. Three cases, all belonging to epithelial tumors, were receptor positive; specifically 1 of 42 adenocarcinomas, 1 of 3 borderline malignancies, and 1 of 2 cystadenomas. Four other epithelial tumors (3 fibroadenomas, 1 Brenner tumor), 4 sex cord-stromal tumors (2 fibrothecomas, 2 granulosa cell tumors), and 2 germ cell tumors (1 dysgerminoma, 1 teratoma) were receptor negative. In the positive cases, the somatostatin receptors were localized on epithelial cells exclusively, were of high affinity (KD = 4.6 nmol/l [nanomolar]), and specific for somatostatin analogs. These receptors bound somatostatin-14 and somatostatin-28 radioligands with a higher affinity than the octapeptide [Tyr3]-SMS 201-995. Healthy ovarian tissue had no somatostatin receptors. A subpopulation of relatively well-differentiated ovarian tumors, therefore, was identified pathobiochemically on the basis of its somatostatin receptor content. This small group of somatostatin receptor-positive tumors may be a target for in vivo diagnostic imaging with somatostatin ligands

[en] A number of different tumors have receptors for somatostatin. We evaluated the efficacy of scanning with ¹²³I-labeled Tyr3-octreotide, a somatostatin analogue, for tumor localization in 42 patients with carcinoid tumors, pancreatic endocrine tumors, or paragangliomas. We then evaluated the response to octreotide therapy in some of these patients. Primary tumors or metastases, often previously unrecognized, were visualized in 12 of 13 patients with carcinoid tumors and in 7 of 9 patients with pancreatic endocrine tumors. The endocrine symptoms of these patients responded well to therapy with octreotide. Among 20 patients with paragangliomas, 8 of whom had more than one tumor, 10 temporal (tympanic or jugular), 9 carotid, and 10 vagal tumors could be visualized. One small tympanic tumor and one small carotid tumor were not seen on the scan. The ¹²³I-labeled Tyr3-octreotide scanning technique is a rapid and safe procedure for the visualization of some tumors with somatostatin receptors. A positive scan may predict the ability of octreotide therapy to control symptoms of hormonal hypersecretion

[en] Somatostatin receptors are known to be expressed in a large number of human tumours and represent the basis for in vivo tumour targeting. Stable somatostatin derivatives such as octreotide or lanreotide are the most frequently used radiopharmaceuticals acting through specific binding to somatostatin receptors; however, they do not bind with high affinity to all five receptor subtypes. Whereas the mRNAs for most receptor subtypes have been detected in tumours, it is in most cases unclear which of the receptor subtype proteins are expressed. Since in vitro receptor binding methods are close correlates and predictors of in vivo peptide receptor targeting, we took advantage of the recently developed subtype-selective analogues and evaluated approximately 200 tumours for their receptor subtype protein expression in specific binding assays using autoradiography with ¹²⁵I-[Leu⁸, D-Trp²², Tyr²⁵]-somatostatin-28 and displacement by subtype-selective analogues. The majority of the tested neuroblastomas, meningiomas, medulloblastomas, breast carcinomas, lymphomas, renal cell carcinomas, paragangliomas, small cell lung carcinomas and hepatocellular carcinomas predominantly expressed sst2. The prostate carcinomas and sarcomas preferentially expressed sst1, while a majority of inactive pituitary adenomas displayed sst3 and, to a lesser extent, sst2. Growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas preferentially expressed sst2 and sst5; gastroenteropancreatic tumours and phaeochromocytomas frequently displayed sst2 and/or sst1. Non-neoplastic human tissues such as vessels, nerve plexus, pancreatic islets, prostatic stroma, adrenal medulla, spleen and germinal centres of the lymphoid tissues preferentially expressed sst2. However, the human gastric mucosa predominantly expressed sst1 while colonic mucosa displayed sst2. Interestingly, a minority of tumours showed a strong ¹²⁵I-[Leu⁸, D-Trp²², Tyr²⁵]-somatostatin-28 binding, of which less than 50% could be displaced by the sum of the five subtype-selective analogues. This observation suggests the existence of an as yet unknown subtype in selected tumours. This study is the first report to analyse the somatostatin receptor subtype expression in tumours with binding methods. We conclude that sst2, with high affinity for current radiopharmaceuticals such as Octreoscan, is predominantly expressed in a majority of tumours. Fewer tumour types (sarcomas, prostate cancers, inactive pituitary adenomas) preferentially express another subtype. This information is of importance with regard to the clinical applications and development of somatostatin analogues with distinct receptor subtype selectivities. (orig.)

[en] Human medullary thyroid carcinomas from 19 patients were analyzed for their content in somatostatin (SRIF) receptors using receptor autoradiography with a SRIF-28 analogue and the SRIF octapeptide [Tyr3]-SMS 201-995 as iodinated radioligands. Four out of 19 cases were SRIF receptor positive with the SRIF octapeptide radioligand. These cases as well as four additional tumors were also positive with the SRIF-28 radioligand 125I-[Leu8, D-Trp22, Tyr25]-SRIF-28. High affinity binding sites pharmacologically specific for bioactive SRIF analogues, specifically located on tumor tissue, were identified. In some cases the SRIF receptors were distributed in a non-homogeneous pattern, with labelling occurring preferentially in highly differentiated tumor regions. Numerous cases were shown to have a high tumoral SRIF content measured by radioimmunoassay or immunohistochemical technique. However, there was no correlation between SRIF receptor status and tumor levels of endogenous SRIF. No correlation was seen between the clinical outcome or the survival of the patients and their tumoral SRIF receptor content. Whereas some medullary thyroid carcinomas seem to be a target for SRIF, the SRIF function in these tumors remains unclear. SRIF receptors in a group of medullary thyroid carcinomas may be useful morphological marker of these tumors and of potential interest for their in vivo localization

[en] The effects of octreotide in vivo and in vitro on hormone release, in vivo [¹²³I]Tyr3-octreotide scanning, and in vitro [¹²⁵I]Tyr3-octreotide autoradiography were compared in five patients with endocrine pancreatic tumors. [¹²³I]Tyr3-octreotide scanning localized the primary tumor and/or previously unknown metastases in four of the five patients. The patient with a negative scan had an insulinoma that did not respond to octreotide in vivo. No Tyr3-octreotide-binding sites were subsequently found at autoradiography of the tumor, whereas somatostatin-14 receptors were present at a high density. In parallel, culture studies with the cells prepared from this adenoma showed that insulin release was not affected by octreotide, while both somatostatin-14 and -28 significantly suppressed hormone release. Culture studies of the tumor cells from two gastrinomas showed a dose-dependent inhibition of gastrin release by octreotide. Octreotide exerted direct antiproliferative effects in one of these gastrinomas, which had been shown to be rapidly growing in vivo. Both gastrinomas had specific somatostatin receptors, as measured by in vitro receptor autoradiography. Somatostatin release by the cultured somatostatinoma cells from one of these patients was suppressed by octreotide