Calcitonin-producing pancreatic somatostatinoma: report of a case.

Abstract

A 59-year-old woman was hospitalized due to a 1-year history of diarrhea and weight loss. Echography and computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a 10 x 7 cm solid mass in the tail of the pancreas and gallstones, while selective celiac angiography revealed the presence of a hypervascular mass. High levels of somatostatin and calcitonin were detected in the plasma, 70 pg/ml (normal range <28 pg/ml) and 5550 pg/ml (normal range 37 +/- 8 pg/ml), respectively. This tumor was thus removed by means of a distal pancreatectomy and a splenectomy. After the pancreatic tumor was removed, the elevated levels of plasma somatostatin and calcitonin returned to the normal ranges, and the persistent diarrhea also dramatically disappeared. A postoperative immunohistochemical study showed the tumor cells to be diffusely positive for somatostatin and calcitonin. These results clearly indicate this patient to be a case of calcitonin-producing pancreatic somatostatinoma.

• Authors: F Sugimoto, T Sekiya, M Saito, T Iiai, K Suda, A Nozawa, T Nakazawa, T Ishizaki, T Ikarashi
• Journal: Surgery today (Surg Today) Vol. 28 Issue 12 Pg. 1279-82 ( 1998) ISSN: 0941-1291 [Print] Japan
• PMID: 9872549 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Somatostatin
• Calcitonin

Topics

• Calcitonin (blood, metabolism)
• Female
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Middle Aged
• Pancreatic Neoplasms (metabolism, surgery)
• Somatostatin (blood, metabolism)