CONTRIBUTION OF SOMATOSTATIN RECEPTOR SCINTIGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF DIGESTIVE NEUROENDOCRINE TUMORS: ANALYSIS OF 72 CASES

Digestive neuroendocrine tumors (DNETs), rare and accounting for 1 2% of digestive cancers, are diagnosed through a combination of biological tests, biopsy, and imaging. Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) plays a key role in their detection. In this retrospective study conducted at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Marrakech between 2016 and 2021, 72 patients (mean age 54 14.3 years, female predominance) were included. The main symptoms were abdominal pain and hypoglycemia. In 69 patients, 99mTc-octreotide SRS demonstrated a specificity of 91.6% and a sensitivity of 84.2%, with 71.4% for staging, outperforming CT for primary tumor localization (80.9% vs. 51.5%). Detection of insulinomas remained limited (50%). Primary tumors were mainly pancreatic and gastric, with metastases primarily hepatic and nodal. SRS remains a major tool for localizing primary tumors and small lesions, and the integration of complementary techniques, such as hybrid imaging, dual-tracer scintigraphy, and combined biological and histopathological evaluation, could improve sensitivity and allow earlier detection, which is essential for patient prognosis.