[Current approaches in the treatment of gastrinoma metastases]

In the last years the therapeutic behaviour with regard to gastrinomas, has deeply changed becoming more and more aggressive. Nowadays, almost all authors recommend, after a serious treatment of the hypersecretion with omeprazole, an explorative laparatomy in all patients affected by gastrinoma even without a preoperative tumor localization. The multiple endocrine syndrome (MEN I) and the metastatic disease are excluded from the above practice. A careful examination of the most recent data available today in literature accompanied with our experience, even if limited, shows that only the surgical treatment allows a better survival also in metastatic disease. The surgical treatment is surely recommended in gastrinoma with pancreatic and duodenal lynphonodal metastasis. For hepatic metastasis all types of hepatic resection, the "wedge resection" included, can be suggested. After the first positive experiences, the hepatic transplantation can find a place among the therapeutic means against this kind of tumors.