# Gallium-68 DOTATATE (and Cu-64 DOTATATE)

Source: https://onco.cc/drugs/ga68-dotatate/  
OnCo record `ga68-dotatate` (Treatment). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

The PET scan for neuroendocrine tumours that finds far more disease than older scans and confirms eligibility for lutetium radioligand therapy (the theranostic pair).

## Summary

Ga-68 DOTATATE (Netspot, kit) approved June 2016; Cu-64 DOTATATE (Detectnet, 12.7-hour half-life allows central production) approved September 2020; Ga-68 DOTATOC (2019, academic). Changes management in about a third of patients; required before Lu-177 DOTATATE (Lutathera). Also images meningioma and paraganglioma.

## Fields

- Kind: Treatment
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Tags: gap-fill; diagnostic
- Brand: Netspot / Detectnet
- Modality: PET radiotracer (somatostatin receptor ligand)
- Mechanism: Radiolabelled somatostatin analogue binding SSTR2 on neuroendocrine tumours; PET replaces the older In-111 octreotide SPECT with higher sensitivity and same-day imaging.
- Approvals: US 2016: PET localisation of SSTR-positive neuroendocrine tumours (Ga-68 DOTATATE); US 2020: Same (Cu-64 DOTATATE); EU 2017: SomaKit TOC (Ga-68 DOTATOC)

## Sources

- Label: Netspot (DailyMed): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=Netspot
- Label: Detectnet (DailyMed): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=Detectnet

## Connected records

- cancers: [Lung neuroendocrine tumours (typical and atypical carcinoid)](https://onco.cc/cancers/lung-net/), [Neuroendocrine tumours](https://onco.cc/cancers/neuroendocrine/), [Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic-net/), [Small intestinal neuroendocrine tumours](https://onco.cc/cancers/small-intestinal-net/)
- technologies: [Cyclotron isotope production (F-18, Ga-68, Cu-64, Zr-89, At-211)](https://onco.cc/technologies/cyclotron-isotope-production/), [Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT)](https://onco.cc/technologies/prrt/), [PET/CT](https://onco.cc/technologies/pet-ct/), [Radioligand therapy (beta emitters)](https://onco.cc/technologies/radioligand-therapy/), [Radiopharmaceutical GMP and releasing a drug that decays](https://onco.cc/technologies/radiopharmaceutical-gmp-release/), [Somatostatin receptor PET (68Ga/64Cu-DOTATATE)](https://onco.cc/technologies/sstr-pet/)
- targets: [Somatostatin receptor 2](https://onco.cc/targets/sstr2/)
- companies: [Advanced Accelerator Applications (Novartis)](https://onco.cc/companies/advanced-accelerator-applications/), [Curium](https://onco.cc/companies/curium/), [Novartis](https://onco.cc/companies/novartis/)
- terms: [PRRT (peptide receptor radionuclide therapy)](https://onco.cc/terms/prrt-term/), [Theranostics](https://onco.cc/terms/theranostics/)
- trials: [68Ga-DOTA-TATE PET/CT Imaging in NETs](https://onco.cc/trials/nct04847505/), [Study of Dotatate Imaging in Breast Cancer](https://onco.cc/trials/nct05880394/)
- biomarkers: [Somatostatin receptor expression by PET (SSTR-positive)](https://onco.cc/biomarkers/sstr-pet-expression/)

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