[Malignant somatostatinoma--diagnosis after 6 years]

Early symptoms of malignant somatostatinoma with dyspeptic complaints, moderate diabetes mellitus and cholecystolithiasis are the reason of primary treatment of these patients by surgeons.

In a 34-year old patient with typical anamnesis of cholecystitis and moderate diabetes mellitus liver metastases were seen during laparotomy. In the beginning the metastases were mistaken for hepatocellular carcinoma histologically. There was no deterioration until June 1988 when a high-grade stenosis of the duodenum has developed. Now a malignant somatostatinoma was diagnosed histologically and confirmed by immunohistology. Somatostatinomas are generally diagnosed by repeated measures of increased plasma SLI associated with decreased insulin, glucagon, pancreatic-polypeptide (PP) and vasoactive-intestinal-peptide (VIP). In normally or moderately increased plasma SLI concentrations provocation with tolbutamid may be helpful. Treatment should remove most of the tumor by surgical intervention, while chemotherapy must be less pronounced.