Malignant insulinoma misdiagnosed and treated as epilepsy.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNET) are extremely rare, and although insulinomas are the commonest, less than 10% of insulinomas are malignant. Most patients with insulinomas present neuroglycopenic symptoms. Because of the rarity of the condition, we report the case of a 56-year-old man with malignant insulinoma, which was misdiagnosed as epilepsy. Timely diagnosis of this disease is of paramount importance to prevent neurologic sequelae of hypoglycemia. Insulinomas should be regarded from the beginning as potentially malignant, although the majority of malignant insulinomas progresses slowly.
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, University Hospital Ibn Rochd, Riad 2 No. 198, El Alia Mohammedia 002010, Casablanca, Morocco. fatimalouda@yahoo.fr
Fatima
F
Louda
Asmaa
A
Chadli
Siham
S
Elaziz
Hassan
H
Elghomari
Ahmed
A
Farouqi
D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D007340:Insulinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis