Islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas

Thirty cases of islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas diagnosed at Memorial Hospital were studied. There were 17 male and 13 female patients. The average age was 44 years. Most of the tumors were located in the body or tail of pancreas; in 25 instances, the primary tumor was larger than 6 cm. Epigastric pain, hypoglycemia, and jaundice were frequent primary clinical presentations. No morphological differences were found between functioning and nonfunctioning tumors. Size of tumor, local tissue infiltration, and vascular invasion were helpful; but they were not absolute parameters aiding in the differentiation of benign and malignant tumors. Twenty-six patients had metastatic disease at time of diagnosis. Liver, regional lymph nodes, bones, and peritoneum were common sites of metastases. The average survival was 3.9 years. The cumulative five-year survival rate was 65%.