BACKGROUND It has been demonstrated that adrenomedullin, a newly discovered peptide, affects the release of insulin from pancreatic islets cells, suggesting a role in the insulin-regulating system. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether adrenomedullin secretion is modified in patients with insulin-secreting islet cell tumours. DESIGN The study was performed in nine patients with surgically treate...

OBJECTIVE Hypoglycaemia poses a significant management challenge in patients with unresectable functional malignant insulinoma. Novel agents such as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors and radiolabelled peptides may be effective where there is failure of conventional therapy. DESIGN We present the cases of two men diagnosed with inoperable malignant insulinoma and hepatic metastas...

Amyloid formation and mitochondrial dysfunction are characteristics of type 2 diabetes. The major peptide constituent of the amyloid deposits in type 2 diabetes is islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP). In this study, we found that pitrilysin, a zinc metallopeptidase of the inverzincin family, degrades monomeric, but not oligomeric, islet amyloid polypeptide in vitro. In insulinoma cells when pitril...

Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) mutation is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the occurrence of parathyroid, pancreatic islet, and anterior pituitary tumors. The incidence of insulinoma in MEN is relatively uncommon, and there have been a few cases of MEN manifested with insulinoma as the first symptom in children. We experienced a 9-year-old girl having a familial MEN1 mutatio...

Insulinoma is the most frequently seen functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. The incidence of multifocal insulinoma is lower than 10%. Its treatment is direct or laparoscopic excision. The present case was examined with the findings of hypoglycemia and hypercalcemia, and as there was high insulin and C-peptide levels the initial diagnosis was insulinoma. The case was investigated in terms...

INTRODUCTION Non-insulinoma pancreatogenous hypoglycemic syndrome is a rare disorder among adults, and, to our knowledge, only about 40 cases have been reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION The patient is a previously healthy 35-year-old Caucasian man. His symptoms began four years ago when he suddenly felt weakness in his legs and started sweating for unknown reasons. The symptoms wo...

The extracellular matrix (ECM) molecule tenascin-C (TNC) promotes tumor progression. This has recently been demonstrated in the stochastic murine RIP1-Tag2 insulinoma model, engineered to either express TNC abundantly or to be devoid of TNC. However, our knowledge about organization of the TNC microenvironment is scant. Here we determined the spatial distribution of TNC together with other ECM ...

CONTEXT Insulinomas may be regarded as potentially malignant. A long follow-up period is needed to detect any possible recurrence, even if the initial diagnosis was of a benign insulinoma. CASE REPORT We present the case of a 76-year-old woman with liver metastases due to a malignant insulinoma, which had been diagnosed as benign after its complete removal 9 years earlier. CONCLUSIONS This ...

Neuroendocrine tumors constitute a group of heterogeneous neoplasms, both those that are clinically asymptomatic and those which present with an array of symptoms. This variable clinical manifestation and unsatisfactory detection rate on diagnostic imaging make preoperative diagnosis particularly challenging. Insulinoma is a rare tumor originating from insulin-synthetizing pancreatic beta cells...

BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) frequently occur in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). It has been reported that GIST may co-exist with pancreatic endocrine tumors but this has only been in association with NF-1. CASE PRESENTATION A 76 year old woman presented with a 12 month history of hypoglycaemia symptoms. Abdominal CT scan demonstrated a 13 mm insulinoma lo...