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Table of Contents Description
Stage Explanation
Treatment Option Overview
Gastrinoma
Insulinoma
Glucagonoma
Miscellaneous Islet Cell Tumors
Recurrent Islet Cell Tumors
To Learn More About Islet Cell Tumors (Endocrine Pancreas)
Get More Information From NCI
Changes to This Summary (05/06/2008)
About PDQ
Description
What are islet cell tumors?
An islet cell tumor is a mass of abnormal cells that forms in the endocrine (hormone -producing) tissues of the pancreas. Islet cell tumors may be benign (noncancer) or malignant (cancerous). Islet cell cancer is rare.
The pancreas is about 6
inches long and is shaped like a thin pear, wider at one end and narrower at
the other. The pancreas lies behind the stomach, inside a loop formed by part
of the small intestine. The broader right end of the pancreas is called the
head, the middle section is called the body, and the narrow left end is the
tail.
The pancreas has two basic jobs in the body. It produces digestive juices that
help break down (digest) food, and hormones (such as insulin) that regulate how
the body stores and uses food. The area of the pancreas that produces
digestive juices is called the exocrine pancreas. About 95% of pancreatic
cancers begin in the exocrine pancreas. The hormone-producing area of the
pancreas has special cells called islet cells and is called the endocrine
pancreas. Only about 5% of pancreatic cancers start here. This summary has
information on cancer of the endocrine pancreas (islet cell cancer). (See
the PDQ summary on Pancreatic Cancer Treatment for more information on cancer
of the exocrine pancreas.)
The islet cells in the pancreas make many hormones, including insulin, which
help the body store and use sugars. When islet cells in the pancreas become
cancerous, they may make too many hormones. Islet cell cancers that make too
many hormones are called functioning tumors. Other islet cell cancers may not
make extra hormones and are called nonfunctioning tumors. Tumors that do not
spread to other parts of the body can also be found in the islet cells. These
are called benign tumors and are not cancer. A doctor will need to determine
whether the tumor is cancer or a benign tumor.
A doctor should be seen if there is pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, stomach
pain, a tired feeling all the time, fainting, or weight gain without eating too
much.
If there are symptoms, the doctor will order blood and urine tests to see
whether the amounts of hormones in the body are normal. Other tests, including x-rays and special scans, may also be done.
The chance of recovery (prognosis) depends on the type of islet cell cancer the
patient has, how far the cancer has spread, and the patient’s overall health.
Back to Top Stage Explanation
Stages of islet cell cancer
Once islet cell cancer is found, more tests will be done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This is called staging. The
staging system for islet cell cancer is still being developed. These tumors are most often divided into one of three groups:
- islet cell cancers occurring in one site within the pancreas,
- islet cell cancers occurring in several sites within the pancreas, or
- islet cell cancers that have spread to lymph nodes near the pancreas or to
distant sites.
Treatment of islet cell cancer depends on the type of tumor, the stage, and the
patient’s general health. The following types of islet cell tumors are found:
Gastrinoma
The tumor makes large amounts of a hormone called gastrin, which causes too
much acid to be made in the stomach. Ulcers may develop as a result of too
much stomach acid.
Insulinoma
The tumor makes too much of the hormone insulin and causes the body to store
sugar instead of burning the sugar for energy. This causes too little sugar in
the blood, a condition called hypoglycemia.
Glucagonoma
This tumor makes too much of the hormone glucagon and causes too much sugar in the blood, a condition called hyperglycemia.
Miscellaneous
Other types of islet cell cancer can affect the pancreas and/or small
intestine. Each type of tumor may affect different hormones in the body and
cause different symptoms.
Recurrent
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has
been treated. It may come back in the pancreas or in another part of the body.
Back to Top Treatment Option Overview
How islet cell cancer is treated
Different types of treatment are available for patients with islet cell cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Three types of standard
treatment are used:
Surgery is the most common treatment of islet cell cancer. The doctor may take
out the cancer and most or part of the pancreas. Sometimes the stomach is
taken out (gastrectomy) because of ulcers. Lymph nodes in the area may also be
removed and looked at under a microscope to see if they contain cancer.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by
pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the
bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the
body.
Hormone therapy uses hormones to stop the cancer cells from growing or to
relieve symptoms caused by the tumor.
Hepatic arterial occlusion or embolization uses drugs or other agents to reduce
or block the flow of blood to the liver in order to kill cancer cells growing
in the liver.
Treatment in a clinical trial
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. In the following lists of treatments for the different types of islet cell tumors, a link to search results for current clinical trials is included for each section. These have been retrieved from NCI's clinical trials database. For some types of islet cell tumors, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
Back to Top Gastrinoma
Treatment may be one of the following:
- Surgery to remove the cancer.
- Surgery to remove the stomach (gastrectomy).
- Surgery to cut the nerve that stimulates the pancreas.
- Chemotherapy.
- Hormone therapy.
- Hepatic arterial occlusion or embolization to kill cancer cells growing in
the liver.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with gastrinoma.
Back to Top Insulinoma
Treatment may be one of the following:
- Surgery to remove the cancer.
- Chemotherapy.
- Hormone therapy.
- Drugs to relieve symptoms.
- Hepatic arterial occlusion or embolization to kill cancer cells growing in
the liver.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with insulinoma.
Back to Top Glucagonoma
Treatment may be one of the following:
- Surgery to remove the cancer.
- Chemotherapy.
- Hormone therapy.
- Hepatic arterial occlusion or embolization to kill cancer cells growing in
the liver.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with glucagonoma.
Back to Top Miscellaneous Islet Cell Tumors
Treatment may be one of the following:
- Surgery to remove the cancer.
- Chemotherapy.
- Hormone therapy.
- Hepatic arterial occlusion or embolization to kill cancer cells growing in
the liver.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with islet cell tumor.
Back to Top Recurrent Islet Cell Tumors
Treatment depends on many factors, including what treatment the patient had
before and where the cancer has come back. Treatment may be chemotherapy, or
patients may want to consider taking part in a clinical trial.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent islet cell carcinoma.
Back to Top To Learn More About Islet Cell Tumors (Endocrine Pancreas)
For more information from the National Cancer Institute about islet cell tumors (endocrine pancreas), see the Islet Cell Tumors Home Page.
For general cancer information and other resources from the National Cancer Institute, see the following:
Back to Top Get More Information From NCI
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. The call is free and a trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
Chat online
The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
Write to us
For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:
- NCI Public Inquiries Office
- Suite 3036A
- 6116 Executive Boulevard, MSC8322
- Bethesda, MD 20892-8322
Search the NCI Web site
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. For a quick search, use our “Best Bets” search box in the upper right hand corner of each Web page. The results that are most closely related to your search term will be listed as Best Bets at the top of the list of search results.
There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
Find Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
Back to Top Changes to This Summary (05/06/2008)
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Several enhancements have been made to this summary to better explain certain medical concepts and to help readers find information about clinical trials. The following changes were made:
- Information about patients taking part in clinical trials was added to the Treatment Option Overview section.
- Links to ongoing clinical trials listed in NCI’s PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry were added to the treatment sections.
- A new section called “ To Learn More ” was added. It includes links to more information about this type of cancer and about cancer in general.
- The “Get More Information from NCI” section (originally called “To Learn More”) was revised.
Back to Top About PDQ
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
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