Description:

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare, slow growing, and diagnosis is often delayed with advanced metastases at presentation. In select patient populations, radioisotope therapy with Lutetium-177 (Lu-DOTA-TATE) has been shown to be a safe and effective palliative therapy, and has been widely used by research groups in Europe. A brand of Lu-DOTA-TATE (Lutathera(R)) is approved for the treatment of gastroenteropancreatic NETs in Europe, the U.S., and more recently in Canada. While Lutathera(R) is approved in Canada, it is not publicly funded in Alberta. Lu-DOTA-TATE has been used at the Cross Cancer Institute to treat more than 300 patients with NETs since August, 2010. Our Lu-DOTA-TATE treatment was initially given under Health Canada's Special Access Programme (SAP), with each individual treatment requiring separate approval. In 2014, Health Canada requested we conduct a clinical trial with Lu-DOTA-TATE instead. The purpose of this study is to: 1) assess the efficacy of Lu-DOTA-TATE treatment in patients with somatostatin receptor positive tumours; 2) assess the safety of Lu-DOTA-TATE; 3) assess the effect of Lu-DOTA-TATE on Quality of Life and survival.