The surgical management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

NETs of pancreas are rare and may or may not be associated with symptoms of hormone overproduction. Treatment is required for control of tumor growth and for relief of symptoms associated with excess hormone. With advances in the nonsurgical management of many hormone-related symptoms (e.g., proton pump inhibitors or somatostatin analogues), care for many of these patients has shifted toward the control of tumor progression. Complete surgical resection is the only curative treatment for these tumors. With improvements in the preoperative imaging and intraoperative localization techniques, it is hoped that these tumors will be identified and resected for cure with increased frequency. For patients with hepatic metastasis, initial expectant observation and medical management of symptoms is appropriate in view of the long and indolent course of the disease. Hepatic arterial embolization is the preferred mode of palliation for pain and hormonal symptoms. A curative hepatic resection may be possible in selected patients.