Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Insulinomasare rare tumors that form in the pancreas, an organ essential to enzyme and hormone production. One of these primary hormones isinsulin, which helps metabolize food and regulates blood sugar. Insulinomas cause an overproduction of insulin, which can result inhypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
Most insulinomas are noncancerous, and full recovery is often achieved when the tumor is surgically removed. This article will discuss the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of insulinomas.
Verywell / Theresa Chiechi
Types of Insulinomas
Insulinomas can be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant):
Most insulinoma tumors are solitary, meaning only one is found at a time, and they rarely spread to other parts of the body.
When insulinoma tumors are not solitary, surgically removing them as a form of treatment will be more challenging.
Insulinoma Symptoms
Thetypical symptoms of insulinomaare usually due to hypoglycemia. Other conditions can produce hypoglycemia or similar symptoms. so it’s important to speak with your physician about your symptoms in detail to get the most accurate diagnosis.Symptoms of insulinoma can include:
Too much insulin can also result inhypoglycemia.
There isn’t a known cause and many insulinomas are considered “sporadic.”
There are, however, some risk factors that may contribute to the development of insulinoma. These include:
What Is an Insulinoma?
Adiagnosis of insulinomacan be delayed for years because associated symptoms are similar to other conditions.
However, if insulinoma is suspected, a physician will supervise a period of fasting for about 48 hours. This is meant to bring on symptoms of hypoglycemia.
After the period of fasting and follow-up tests,computed tomography (CT),magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), orpositron-emission tomography (PET)scans may be used to identify a tumor on the pancreas. If a tumor cannot be located using these imaging techniques, other, more invasive tests may be used to locate the tumor.
Many insulinomas are treated successfully with surgery to remove the tumor.
Though there are several types of surgery that could be used, a less invasive procedure calledlaparoscopic surgerymay be utilized to remove the tumor. In this procedure, the surgeon makes several small incisions using specialized surgical tools and a scope to see inside the body.
For tumors that cannot be surgically removed, dietary changes and medications to manage symptoms are typically prescribed. The same goes for cancerous insulinomas.
For those who have a cancerous insulinoma tumor, chemotherapy may also be used to shrink the tumor.
Nonsurgical Treatment for Insulinoma
In most cases, surgical removal of a noncancerous insulinoma tumor will effectively cure the condition. The long-term survival rate is much higher for those with noncancerous insulinoma than those with malignant insulinoma.
Surgery can improve the survival rate for malignant tumors as well.But those who have MEN-1 or malignant insulinoma are more likely to experience recurrence of the tumors.
If surgical removal of the tumor is attempted and the majority of the pancreas is removed,diabeteswill likely develop and require ongoing management.
A Word From Verywell
Insulinomas are very rare, and most are treatable. The symptoms associated with these tumors often mimic those of other conditions, so diagnosis can be challenging. If you are experiencing symptoms of insulinoma, discuss this with your healthcare provider. Fortunately, most insulinomas are benign, and surgical removal typically resolves any symptoms.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Antonakis PT, Ashrafian H, Martinez-Isla A.Pancreatic insulinomas: laparoscopic management.World J Gastrointest Endosc. 2015;7(16):1197-1207. doi:10.4253/wjge.v7.i16.1197Sada A, Glasgow AE, Vella A, Thompson GB, McKenzie TJ, Habermann EB.Malignant insulinoma: a rare form of neuroendocrine tumor.World J Surg. 2020;44(7):2288-2294. doi:10.1007/s00268-020-05445-xJohns Hopkins Medicine.Insulinoma.Okabayashi T.Diagnosis and management of insulinoma.WJG. 2013;19(6):829. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i6.829MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Insulinoma.Shin JJ, Gorden P, Libutti SK.Insulinoma: pathophysiology, localization and management.Future Oncol. 2010;6(2):229-237. doi:10.2217/fon.09.165
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Antonakis PT, Ashrafian H, Martinez-Isla A.Pancreatic insulinomas: laparoscopic management.World J Gastrointest Endosc. 2015;7(16):1197-1207. doi:10.4253/wjge.v7.i16.1197Sada A, Glasgow AE, Vella A, Thompson GB, McKenzie TJ, Habermann EB.Malignant insulinoma: a rare form of neuroendocrine tumor.World J Surg. 2020;44(7):2288-2294. doi:10.1007/s00268-020-05445-xJohns Hopkins Medicine.Insulinoma.Okabayashi T.Diagnosis and management of insulinoma.WJG. 2013;19(6):829. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i6.829MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Insulinoma.Shin JJ, Gorden P, Libutti SK.Insulinoma: pathophysiology, localization and management.Future Oncol. 2010;6(2):229-237. doi:10.2217/fon.09.165
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Antonakis PT, Ashrafian H, Martinez-Isla A.Pancreatic insulinomas: laparoscopic management.World J Gastrointest Endosc. 2015;7(16):1197-1207. doi:10.4253/wjge.v7.i16.1197Sada A, Glasgow AE, Vella A, Thompson GB, McKenzie TJ, Habermann EB.Malignant insulinoma: a rare form of neuroendocrine tumor.World J Surg. 2020;44(7):2288-2294. doi:10.1007/s00268-020-05445-xJohns Hopkins Medicine.Insulinoma.Okabayashi T.Diagnosis and management of insulinoma.WJG. 2013;19(6):829. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i6.829MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Insulinoma.Shin JJ, Gorden P, Libutti SK.Insulinoma: pathophysiology, localization and management.Future Oncol. 2010;6(2):229-237. doi:10.2217/fon.09.165
Antonakis PT, Ashrafian H, Martinez-Isla A.Pancreatic insulinomas: laparoscopic management.World J Gastrointest Endosc. 2015;7(16):1197-1207. doi:10.4253/wjge.v7.i16.1197
Sada A, Glasgow AE, Vella A, Thompson GB, McKenzie TJ, Habermann EB.Malignant insulinoma: a rare form of neuroendocrine tumor.World J Surg. 2020;44(7):2288-2294. doi:10.1007/s00268-020-05445-x
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Insulinoma.
Okabayashi T.Diagnosis and management of insulinoma.WJG. 2013;19(6):829. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i6.829
MedlinePlus.Insulinoma.
Shin JJ, Gorden P, Libutti SK.Insulinoma: pathophysiology, localization and management.Future Oncol. 2010;6(2):229-237. doi:10.2217/fon.09.165
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