April 29, 2020 — Patients who undergo Radiation treatment with lutetium-177 (Lu-177)-DOTATATE for neuroendocrine tumors should receive and carry a travel card with details of their regimen to reduce unnecessary security checkpoint delays, according to an article published in the April issue of the Journal of Nuclear medicine.
While most patients are treated respectfully by security personnel, a public online survey performed by study co-author, Josh Mailman, found that screening procedures can take one to two hours and longer in some cases. Some respondents reported having to go through the screening process multiple times, as portable detector systems were unable to correctly identify Lu-177 and displayed other radionuclides in the results.
To help avoid these “unwanted surprises,” the authors encourage clinical treatment, Nuclear medicine, or nuclear radiology personnel to discuss with patients before treatment the possibility of future travel speedbumps and adjust schedules accordingly in advance.