Evaluation of the SSTR2-targeted Radiopharmaceutical 177Lu-DOTATATE and SSTR2-specific 68Ga-DOTATATE PET as Imaging Biomarker in Patients with Intracranial Meningioma

Abstract

Purpose: There are no effective medical therapies for patients with meningioma who progress beyond surgical and radiotherapeutic interventions. Somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) represents a promising treatment target in meningiomas. In this multicenter, single-arm phase II clinical study (NCT03971461), the SSTR2-targeting radiopharmaceutical 177Lu-DOTATATE is evaluated for its feasibility, safety, and therapeutic efficacy in these patients.

Patients and methods: Adult patients with progressive intracranial meningiomas received 177Lu-DOTATATE at a dose of 7.4 GBq (200 mCi) every eight weeks for four cycles. 68Ga-DOTATATE PET-MRI was performed before and six months after the start of the treatment. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months (PFS-6). Secondary endpoints were safety and tolerability, overall survival (OS) at 12 months (OS-12), median PFS, and median OS.

Results: Fourteen patients (female = 11, male = 3) with progressive meningiomas (WHO 1 = 3, 2 = 10, 3 = 1) were enrolled. Median age was 63.1 (range 49.7-78) years. All patients previously underwent tumor resection and at least one course of radiation. Treatment with 177Lu-DOTATATE was well tolerated. Seven patients (50%) achieved PFS-6. Best radiographic response by modified Macdonald criteria was stable disease (SD) in all seven patients. A >25% reduction in 68Ga-DOTATATE uptake (PET) was observed in five meningiomas and two patients. In one lesion, this corresponded to >50% reduction in bidirectional tumor measurements (MRI).

Conclusions: Treatment with 177Lu-DOTATATE was well tolerated. The predefined PFS-6 threshold was met in this interim analysis, thereby allowing this multicenter clinical trial to continue enrollment. 68Ga-DOTATATE PET may be a useful imaging biomarker to assess therapeutic outcome in patients with meningioma.