BACKGROUND. Mirabegron is a β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) agonist approved only for the treatment of overactive bladder. Encouraging preclinical results suggest that β3-AR agonists could also improve obesity-related metabolic disease by increasing brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis, and insulin sensitivity. METHODS. We treated 14 healthy women of diverse ethnicities (27.5 ± 1.1 years of age, BMI of 25.4 ± 1.2 kg/m 2) with 100 mg mirabegron (Myrbetriq extended-release tablet, Astellas Pharma) for 4 weeks in an open-label study. The primary endpoint was the change in BAT metabolic activity as measured by [ 18 F]-2-fluoro-d-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18 F-FDG) PET/CT. Secondary endpoints included resting energy expenditure (REE), plasma metabolites, and glucose and insulin metabolism as assessed by a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. RESULTS. Chronic mirabegron therapy increased BAT metabolic activity. Whole-body REE was higher, without changes in body weight or composition. Additionally, there were elevations in plasma levels of the beneficial lipoprotein biomarkers HDL and ApoA1, as well as total bile acids. Adiponectin, a WAT-derived hormone that has antidiabetic and antiinflammatory capabilities, increased with acute treatment and was 35% higher upon completion of the study. Finally, an intravenous glucose tolerance test revealed higher insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness, and insulin secretion. CONCLUSION. These findings indicate that human BAT metabolic activity can be increased after chronic pharmacological stimulation with mirabegron and support the investigation of β3-AR agonists as a treatment for metabolic disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03049462.

Listen to the podcast by Dr Strosberg at www.jco.org/podcastsGastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEPNETs) are increasing in incidence, and accurate staging is important for selecting the appropriate treatment. 68Ga-DOTATATE imaging is a promising approach for detecting GEPNETs and could help in selecting optimal therapeutic strategies. The aim of this study was to prospectively determine the clinical utility of 68 Ga-DOTATATE positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in detecting unknown primary and metastatic GEPNETs. Patients and MethodsOne hundred thirty-one patients were enrolled in a prospective study of patients undergoing 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT, 111 In-pentetreotide single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT and multiphasic CT scan, and/or magnetic resonance imaging in a blinded fashion with comprehensive biochemical testing. The primary outcome measure was the detection of lesions by each imaging study.Results 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT imaging detected 95.1% of lesions (95% CI, 92.4% to 96.8%) with an average maximum standardized uptake value of 65.4 6 47 (range, 6.9 to 244), anatomic imaging detected 45.3% of lesions (95% CI, 37.9% to 52.9%), and 111In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT detected 30.9% of lesions (95% CI, 25.0% to 37.5%), with a significant difference between imaging modalities (P , .001). In four of 14 patients (28.6%), 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT found a previously unknown primary tumor, and detected primary GEPNET, lymph node, and distant metastases correctly in 72 of 113 lesions (63.7%) when compared with histopathology, with 22.1% and 38.9% detected by using 111 In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT and anatomic imaging, respectively. On the basis of findings with 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT, 43 of 131 patients (32.8%) had a change in management recommendation. In patients with carcinoid symptoms but negative biochemical testing, 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT detected lesions in 65.2% of patients, 40% of which were detected neither by anatomic imaging nor by 111 In-pentetreotide SPECT/CT. Conclusion68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT imaging provides important information for accurate staging of GEPNETs and selection of appropriate treatment interventions even in the absence of biochemical evidence of disease in symptomatic patients.

Purpose Patients with succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB) mutation-related pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PHEO/PGL) are at a higher risk for metastatic disease than other hereditary PHEOs/PGLs. Current therapeutic approaches are limited but the best outcomes are based on the early and proper detection of as many lesions as possible. Because PHEOs/PGLs overexpress somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2), the goal of our study was to assess the clinical utility of [68Ga]-DOTA(0)-Tyr(3)-octreotate ([68Ga]-DOTATATE) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and to evaluate its diagnostic utility in comparison to the currently recommended functional imaging modalities [18F]-fluorodopamine ([18F]-FDA), [18F]-fluorodihydroxyphenylalanine ([18F]-FDOPA), [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]-FDG) PET/CT as well as CT/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Experimental Design [68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/CT was prospectively performed in 17 patients with SDHB-related metastatic PHEOs/PGLs. All patients also underwent [18F]-FDG PET/CT and CT/MRI with 16 of the 17 patients also receiving [18F]-FDOPA and [18F]-FDA PET/CT scans. Detection rates of metastatic lesions were compared between all these functional imaging studies. A composite synthesis of all used functional and anatomical imaging studies served as the imaging comparator. Results [68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/CT demonstrated a lesion-based detection rate of 98.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 96.5% to 99.5%), [18F]-FDG, [18F]-FDOPA, [18F]-FDA PET/CT, and CT/MRI showed detection rates of 85.8% (CI 81.3% to 89.4%) (p<0.01), 61.4% (CI 55.6% to 66.9%) (p<0.01), 51.9% (CI 46.1% to 57.7%) (p<0.01), and 84.8% (CI 80.0% to 88.5%) (p<0.01), respectively. Conclusions [68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/CT showed a significantly superior detection rate compared to all other functional and anatomical imaging modalities and may represent the preferred future imaging modality in the evaluation of SDHB-related metastatic PHEO/PGL.