The pancreas is an organ located in the upper part of the abdomen. It produces digestive juices that are secreted into the digestive tract. The pancreas also produces insulin, which helps control blood sugar, and other hormones. Pancreatic endocrine tumors are tumors that arise from the types of pancreatic cells that produce hormones. These tumors may or may not secrete hormones themselves and may or may not be cancerous (malignant).
There are two types of pancreatic endocrine tumors:
Functioning
Nonfunctioning
Nonfunctioning tumors do not secrete hormones and are not cancerous. These tumors may cause symptoms by blocking the biliary tract or small intestine, by bleeding into the gastrointestinal tract, or by causing a mass in the abdomen.
Functioning tumors secrete large amounts of a particular hormone, causing various syndromes. Some functioning tumors are cancerous. The hormones that may be secreted and their tumor type include
Gastrin (gastrinoma)
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (vipoma)
Excess secretion of these hormones can also occur in a disorder called multiple endocrine neoplasia.
Treatment of Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors
Surgery
Medications that block hormone effects
Sometimes chemotherapy
The treatment for both types of tumors is surgery. However, for some small, nonfunctioning tumors, doctors may only monitor them and do not remove them surgically.
People whose cancer has spread (metastasised) may be given chemotherapy, which may lengthen survival.
