Enhancement of somatostatin-receptor-targeted 177Lu-[DOTA0-Tyr3]-octreotide therapy by gemcitabine pretreatment-mediated receptor uptake, up-regulation and cell cycle modulation

Gemcitabine pretreatment up-regulates sstr expression and acts as a radiosensitizer through cell cycle modulation. The rational combination of gemcitabine and sstr-targeted radiopharmaceuticals represents a promising chemoradiation therapeutic tool with great potential to improve clinical outcomes and, thus, merits further study.