Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34539577›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in endocrinology2021

Comparison of 68Ga-DOTANOC and 18F-FDG PET-CT Scans in the Evaluation of Primary Tumors and Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients With Rectal Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Zhihao Zhou, Zhixiong Wang, Bing Zhang, Yanzhang Wu, Guanghua Li, Zhao Wang

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Rectal neuroendocrine tumors: Update.World journal of gastrointestinal oncology · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. The clinical benefits of [BMC medical imaging · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Zhihao ZhouDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Zhixiong WangDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Bing ZhangDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Yanzhang WuDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Guanghua LiDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Zhao WangDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Sun Yat-sen University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Lymph node metastasis of rectal neuroendocrine tumors (RNETs) predicts poor prognosis. However, the assessment of lymph node metastasis remains a challenge. It has been reported that 68Ga-DOTANOC and 18F-FDG PET-CT scans could be employed in the work-up of rectal neuroendocrine tumors (RNETs). This study aimed to assess both tracers' ability to identify primary tumors and lymph node (LN) metastasis in RNETs. Methods: A total of 537 patients with RNETs were enrolled from January 2014 to January 2021. Both 68Ga-DOTANOC and 18F-FDG PET-CT scans were used to evaluate primary tumors and LN group metastasis. PET images were evaluated through visual and semiquantitative assessment. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to investigate the performance of SUVmax of 68Ga-DOTANOC and 18F-FDG PET in predicting LN group metastasis. Results: Fifty-two patients with preoperative 68Ga-DOTANOC with 18F-FDG PET-CT scans underwent endoscopic biopsy or dissection of the primary tumor, while 11 patients underwent rectal surgery together with regional LN dissection. For primary tumors, 68Ga-DOTANOC had a sensitivity of 89.58% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 95.56% through visual assessment, while 18F-FDG PET-CT showed 77.08% sensitivity and 97.37% PPV. For the prediction of LN group metastasis, 68Ga-DOTANOC PET-CT had 77.78% sensitivity and 91.67% specificity, while 18F-FDG PET-CT had 38.89% sensitivity and 100% specificity according to visual assessment. The area under the ROC curves (AUC) for 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT was 0.852 (95%CI:0.723-0.981) with an optimal SUVmax cut-off value of 2.25, while the AUC for 18F-FDG PET were 0.664 (95%CI:0.415-0.799) with an optimal SUVmax cut-off value of 1.05. Conclusions: This study showed that 68Ga-DOTANOC PET-CT was a promising tool for detecting LN metastasis in RNETs with high sensitivity and specificity in visual assessment and semiquantitative assessment, which was better than 18F-FDG PET-CT.

Indexed as

AdultAgedChinaFemaleFluorodeoxyglucose F18HumansLymphatic MetastasisLymph NodesMaleMiddle AgedNeuroendocrine TumorsOrganometallic CompoundsPositron Emission Tomography Computed TomographyPredictive Value of TestsRectal NeoplasmsSensitivity and Specificity68Ga-DOTANOCFluorodeoxyglucose F18Organometallic Compounds18F-FDG PET68Ga-DOTANOC PETlymph node metastasisPET-CTrectal neuroendocrine tumors

Identifiers

PMID34539577
PMCPMC8440966
OpenAlexW3197129425

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.