Malignant Somatostatinoma (Brief Overview and a Case Review)

Overview

Introduction:
Somatostatinoma is a rare, slowly growing tumor with malignity potential, most commonly located in the pancreas or duodenum. By the time its diagnosis is established, it is usually large and liver metastases are present. Increased concentrations of somatostatin, produced by pancreatic D cells or by intestinal mucosa, inihibit secretion of a number of GIT hormones, endocrine and exocrine pancreatic secretion. The clinical findings include symptoms of diabetes, dyspepsia, diarrhoea, steatorhoea, abdominal pain, hypochlorhydria, anemia. Sometimes, the finding is accidental.

A case review:
The authors present a case of somatostatinoma, detected accidentaly in a 72- year- old male. The tumor originated from the pancreatic head, partially spreading invasively into surrounding organs (duodenum), invading blood vessels and metastazing into peripancreatic lymphonodes. The tumor was asymptomatic and was detected as an accidental finding on ultrasound and CT abdominal examinations for the patient’s urological disorder (vesicolithiasis)

Pylorus saving hemipancreatoduodenectomy was performed and, on microscopic and subsequent immunohistochemical examination of the resecate, a well- differentiated endocrine, somatostatin- producing pancreatic carcinoma was verified.

Key words:
malignant somatostatinoma – accidental detection of the tumor – hemipancreatoduodenectomy – verification by a pathologist