| [ Summary ] |
Somatostatinomas are still rare, though reports of this tumor have recently increased in number owing to progress in imaging examinations(US, CT, angiography etc.), RIA of plasma somatostatin, immunohistochemistry, and so on. Somatostatinomas occur in adults, slightly more often in women than in men. Most somatostatinomas are found as solitary, malignant tumors. There are two types, namely, pancreatic and extrapancreatic(duodenal). The former is mostly located in the head of the pancreas, frequently with metastasis to the liver. The latter usually has no symptoms of somatostatinoma syndrome, which constitute a clinical triad (diabetes mellitus, cholelithiasis, steatorrhea), and is present with von Recklinghausen's disease. The optimal treatment is complete resection of the tumor. Even in cases that cannot undergo a radical operation, an aggressive surgical approach including resection of metastatic tumors is warranted. Chemotherapy is administered employing 5-FU, STZ, etc. The tumors commonly grow slowly and the prognosis of somatostatinomas is better than those of more commonly encountered pancreatic cancers (e.g. pancreatic tubular adenocarcinoma). |