Pancreatic Islet Cell Tumor

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Pancreatic Islet Cell Tumor is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

Encephalopathy, Hypoglycemic
Multiple Endocrine Adenomatosis

Disorder Subdivisions

None

General Discussion

Pancreatic-islet cell tumors appear in one of two forms. They may be nonfunctioning or functioning tumors. Nonfunctioning tumors may cause obstruction in the shortest part of the small intestine (duodenum) or in the biliary tract, which connects the liver to the duodenum and includes the gall bladder. These nonfunctioning tumors may erode and bleed into the stomach and/or the intestines, or they may cause an abdominal mass.

Functioning tumors secrete excessive amounts of hormones, which may lead to various syndromes including low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), multiple bleeding ulcers (Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome), pancreatic cholera (Verner-Morrison Syndrome), carcinoid syndrome or diabetes.

Islet cells are small, isolated masses of cells that make up the Islet of Langerhans in the pancreas. When functioning normally, they secrete the protein hormones insulin and glucagon. Tumors composed of irregular islet cells may occur alone or in a group of many tumors. Approximately 90% of islet-cell tumors are noncancerous (benign). They usually range in size from 0.5 to 2 cm in diameter.
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Resources

American Cancer Society, Inc.
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
USA
Tel: 4043203333
Tel: 8002272345
Internet: http://www.cancer.org

NIH/National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
2 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3570
Tel: (301)654-3810
Fax: (301)907-8906
Tel: (800)891-5389
Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: http://www.niddk.nih.gov

Cancer.Net
1900 Duke Street
Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: (703)299-0150
Fax: (703)684-8618
Tel: (888)651-3038
Email: contactus@plwc.org
Internet: http://www.cancer.net/patient

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.
It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report.
This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.
For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org
Last Updated: 1/3/2008
Copyright 1990, 2000 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

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