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Illustrated Health Encyclopedia
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Ency. home > Disease > P > Pancreatic islet cell tumor

Pancreatic islet cell tumor    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Tumor - islet cell; Islet cell tumors; Islet of Langerhan's tumor

Definition:

A tumor of the pancreas that forms in an islet cell region that can produce hormones such as insulin and/or other hormones.

Causes and Risks

In the normal pancreas, cells called islet cells produce hormones that regulate a variety of bodily functions such as the blood sugar level and the production of stomach acid.

Tumors of these islet cells of the pancreas can produce any of a variety of hormones or may even produce no hormones at all. The tumors can be benign or malignant (cancerous). The tumors may produce more than one hormone, but usually one hormone predominates so that specific symptoms result.

Islet cell tumors include insulinomas, glucagonomas, gastrinomas (Zollinger-Ellison's syndrome) and other, more rare types of tumors. Risk factors are having a family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia, Type I (MEN I).

Ency. home > Disease > P > Pancreatic islet cell tumor

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