De Novo Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Prostate: Molecular Heterogeneity on Triple-Tracer PET/CT and Its Implications for Personalized Treatment Strategy
De novo small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the prostate is a rare, aggressive malignancy with heterogeneous molecular characteristics. We report the case of a patient with metastatic prostatic small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma that showed variable tracer avidity on triple-tracer PET/CT ([<sup>18</sup>F]FDG, [<sup>68</sup>Ga]Ga-DOTATATE, and [<sup>68</sup>Ga]Ga-PSMA-11). All lesions demonstrated intense [<sup>18</sup>F]FDG avidity, reflecting dedifferentiated biology. In contrast, [<sup>68</sup>Ga]Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT showed uptake in only half of the lesions, predominantly in infradiaphragmatic lesions, whereas there was no uptake of [<sup>68</sup>Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT across all lesions. This striking discordance highlights the complementary role of triple-tracer PET/CT in characterizing tumor heterogeneity, accurate staging, and planning personalized imaging and therapeutic strategies in such aggressive malignancies.
Authors
- Rahul V. Parghane
- Rangat Bagasariya
- Sandip Basu
Institutions
- Homi Bhabha National Institute (IN)
- Tata Memorial Hospital (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
- Published
- 2026-06-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.126.272275
- Primary Topic
- Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Advances
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00