Long-term follow-up of patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1

Whether early surgical treatment of non-functioning pancreas islet cell tumor (NFPT) provides a favorable quality of life and life expectancy in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) remains controversial. We analyzed the long-term clinical courses and surgical outcomes of 14 Japanese patients with MEN1-associated NFPTs. NFPTs smaller than 20 mm in diameter did not show any apparent growth over a long monitoring period. Furthermore, these small NFPTs did not metastasize to regional lymph nodes or the liver. On the other hand, the development of additional NFPTs or metastasis was found in five of six patients with large (35 mm or larger) NFPTs. Among the seven patients who underwent a partial pancreatectomy, six patients developed impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes. The accumulation of more prospective data is needed to clarify the optimal surgical indications for patients with NFPTs, especially among the Japanese population, which has a relatively low insulin secretion potency compared with non-Hispanic white and African-American populations.