Safety and tolerability of 68 Ga-NT-20.3, a radiopharmaceutical for targeting neurotensin receptors, in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: the first in-human use

Introduction Over the last decades, multiple peptide receptors were recognized as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets in nuclear medicine. 68Ga-NT-20.3 radiopharmaceutical has been developed for diagnosis of neurotensin receptors. High neurotensin receptor expression has been observed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma as well as various malignancies. Until now, 68Ga-labelled NT ligand was successfully applied in in vitro as well as in animal model. Our study is the first in-human study on safety and tolerability of 68Ga-NT-20.3. Methods Subjects were intravenously injected with 2.5 MBq of 68Ga-DOTA-NT-20.3 per kilogramme of body weight, and series of PET images were acquired at 5-25 min, 25-45 min, 45-65 min, and 65-85 min after 68Ga-NT-20.3 injection. Vital parameters are as follows: systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), heart rate (heart beat/min), respiratory rate (number of breaths/min), ECG, and body temperature (°C) were checked before, immediately after, and 3 h after 68Ga-NT-20.3 injection. The organ-absorbed doses were calculated for the self-dose and cross-dose from each organ region using the OLINDA/EXM version 2.1 software. Results and conclusion The results from this small trial demonstrate that PET radiopharmaceutical 68Ga-NT-20.3 is safe and well tolerated.