A comparative study of 131I and 177Lu labeled somatostatin analogues for therapy of neuroendocrine tumours

This work analysed the influence of the chelating group and radioligand on somatostatin analogues in vivo and in vitro properties. The presence of DOTA in the radioiodinated peptide produced a labeled analogue with similar blood kinetics and biodistribution to 177Lu-DOTATATE and with lower abdominal uptake than 131I-TATE. In addition, 131I-DOTATATE showed significative tumour uptake, despite not so persistent after 24 h. 131I-DOTATATE can represent a cost-effective alternative to lutetium labeled peptide for neuroendocrine tumours therapy.