Pancreatic islet cell tumor

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Endocrine glands

Pancreatic islet cell tumor

Alternative Names:

Islet cell tumors; Islet of Langerhans tumor; Neuroendocrine tumors
Symptoms:

Sweating
Tremor
Rapid heart rate
Anxiety
Hunger
Dizziness
Headache
Clouding of vision
Confusion
Behavioral changes
Convulsions
Loss of consciousness
Skin rash that migrates on the face, abdomen, perineum, buttocks, or lower extremities
- May be crusty and scaly
- May have raised lesions filled with clear fluid or pus
Inflamed mouth and tongue
Weight loss
Weight gain (unintentional)
Peptic ulcer pain
Vomiting blood
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain

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Note: The symptoms depend upon the type of tumor and the hormone produced.

Signs and tests:

The type of tests performed may vary depending upon the symptoms associated with the condition. Some of the following abnormalities may be detected on testing:

an abdominal CT scan may reveal a pancreatic tumor (sometimes the tumor may be too small to see with a CT scan)
MRI of abdomen to show pancreatic tumor (MRI can sometimes see smaller tumors than those seen with a CT scan)
abnormal glucose tolerance test
low fasting glucose level
elevated serum insulin C-peptide
elevated serum insulin level
increased gastrin level
positive secretin stimulation test for pancreas
elevated fasting glucose level
elevated serum glucagon level
abdominal ultrasound
endoscopic ultrasound
intraductal endoscopic ultrasound
occasionally, the diagnosis and treatment (surgical removal) requires exploratory surgery, during which the surgeon feels the pancreas and may use ultrasound probes