Calcitonin-producing pancreatic somatostatinoma: report of a case.
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.
Sugimoto
F
F
Department of Surgery, Koseiren-Kariwagun General Hospital, Kashiwazaki, Japan.
Sekiya
T
T
Saito
M
M
Iiai
T
T
Suda
K
K
Nozawa
A
A
Nakazawa
T
T
Ishizaki
T
T
Ikarashi
T
T
D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
D013004:Somatostatin; D002116:Calcitonin