Hematological Side Effects of 177Lu-DOTA-TATE Therapy in Patients with NENs

Background/Objectives: Lutathera® ([177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE) is the first radiolabelled somatostatin (SST) analog approved for the treatment of patients with well-differentiated (G1 and G2) unresectable or metastatic gastro-entero-pancreatic neuro-endocrine-neoplasms (GEP-NENs). The bone marrow and kidneys are critical organs for RLT with [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE. Our purpose was to evaluate hematological and renal toxicity in 29 patients (18 males, 11 females) treated with Lutathera®. Methods: According to standard protocols, four cycles of (177Lu)Lu-DOTA-TATE were administered every eight/nine weeks. Patients received pre-medication with anti-emetic and anti-acid drugs and a slow amino acid infusion for renal protection. Blood count and serum creatinine data were collected at three time points: before the first cycle, after the second cycle, and at the end of treatment. Results: We found that almost all hematological parameters significantly decreased between the baseline and/or interim and post-therapy evaluation, although without a clinical impact. The presence of total tumor load or bone metastases had no influence on these findings, while male patients showed less hematological toxicity than females. Conversely, creatinine levels did not vary during treatment. Conclusions: Our study confirms that [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE RLT is safe and well tolerated despite some minor (grade 1) hematological toxicity.