| Theme | Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Pathogenesis of Endocrine Tumor of the Pancreas | |
| Publish Date | 1997/08 | |
| Author | Wataru Kimura | Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo |
| Author | Masatoshi Makuuchi | Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo |
| [ Summary ] | Detailed pathological investigations of the pancreas in elderly autopsy cases revealed a high frequency of endocrine tumor. The fact that ductular or tubular structures were found in or adjacent to tumors in 60% and that hormone production was present in both duct cells and acinar cells with immunohistochemical findings suggested that endocrine tumors may develop from stem cells with multiple differentiation capacity, as well as from Langerhans islets. The existence of ductulo-insular tumor, acinar endocrine cell tumor, and duct-acinar-islet cell tumor appears to support these observations. We observed islets of Langerhans with diameters of 500 micro m or more, or islets with a mean±2SD size or larger around the tumor, suggesting the presence of factors that promote the growth of islets of Langerhans. Future molecular biological study will further elucidate the pathogenesis of endocrine tumor of the pancreas. | |