Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Apr 26, 2023; 11(12): 2825-2831
Published online Apr 26, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i12.2825
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor detected by technetium-99m methoxy-2-isobutylisonitrile single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography: A case report
Chang-Jiang Liu, Hua-Jun Yang, Yan-Chun Peng, De-Yu Huang
Chang-Jiang Liu, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xingyi People’s Hospital, Xingyi 562400, Guizhou Province, China
Hua-Jun Yang, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xingyi People’s Hospital, Xingyi 562400, Guizhou Province, China
Yan-Chun Peng, Department of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Splenic Surgery, Xingyi People’s Hospital, Xingyi 562400, Guizhou Province, China
De-Yu Huang, Department of Pathology, Xingyi People’s Hospital, Xingyi 562400, Guizhou Province, China
Author contributions: Liu CJ and Yang HJ conceived the idea; Liu CJ designed the research; Liu CJ, Yang HJ, Peng YC, and Huang DY analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from the subject at the time of admission.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chang-Jiang Liu, MD, Academic Fellow, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xingyi People’s Hospital, No. 1 Yingxiong Road, Xingyi 562400, Guizhou Province, China. liucj_009@163.com
Received: January 19, 2023
Peer-review started: January 19, 2023
First decision: February 2, 2023
Revised: February 10, 2023
Accepted: March 24, 2023
Article in press: March 24, 2023
Published online: April 26, 2023
Processing time: 96 Days and 15.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) account for about 1%–2% of pancreatic tumors and about 8% of all NETs. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and endoscopic ultrasound are common imaging modalities for the diagnosis of pancreatic NETs. Furthermore, somatostatin receptor imaging is of great value for diagnosing pancreatic NETs. Herein, we report the efficacy of technetium-99m methoxy-2-isobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) single photon emission CT (SPECT)/CT for detecting pancreatic NETs.

CASE SUMMARY

A 57-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a 1-d history of persistent upper abdominal distending pain. The distending pain in the upper abdomen was aggravated after eating, with nausea and retching. Routine blood test results showed a high neutrophil percentage, low leukomonocyte and monocyte percentages, and low leukomonocyte and eosinophil counts. Amylase, liver and kidney function, and tumor markers alpha-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen, and cancer antigen (CA) 125, CA72-4, CA19-9, and CA153 were normal. Abdominal CT showed a mass, with multiple calcifications between the pancreas and the spleen. The boundary between the mass and the pancreas and spleen was poorly defined. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed that the upper abdominal mass was unevenly and gradually enhanced. 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT revealed that a focal radioactive concentration, with mild radioactive concentration extending into the upper abdominal mass, was present at the pancreatic body and tail. The 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT manifestations were consistent with the final pathological diagnosis of pancreatic NET.

CONCLUSION

99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT appears to be a valuable tool for detecting pancreatic NETs.

Keywords: Neuroendocrine tumors; Pancreas; Tc-99m-Methoxy-2-isobutylisonitrile; Single photon emission computed tomography; X-ray computed tomography; Case report

Core Tip: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare. The gastroenteropancreatic tract is the most common site for NETs. Pancreatic NETs account for about 1%-2% of pancreatic tumors and about 8% of all NETs. Endoscopic ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging are common imaging modalities for the diagnosis of pancreatic NETs. In addition, somatostatin receptor imaging is of great value for the diagnosis of pancreatic NETs. We experienced a case of pancreatic NET detected by technetium-99m methoxy-2-isobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) single-photon emission CT/CT, which was consistent with the final pathological diagnosis of pancreatic NET.