Multiple-hormone-producing islet cell carcinoma: report of a case

Although part of pancreatic endocrine tumors may be multihormonal by immunohistochemical study, the clinical manifestations are often related to hypersecretion of only one type of peptide hormone. Only a few cases have shown two or more syndromes simultaneously or transition of one type of syndrome to another with the passage of time. The case reported here is an islet cell carcinoma with liver metastases. The clinical manifestations changed from Zollinger-Ellison syndrome to hypoglycemic syndrome with the secretion of gastrin, insulin and serotonin. The immunohistochemical study confirmed multihormonal production. The elevation of growth hormone with acromegaly was also noted in this case. It remains to be seen if the excessive production of growth hormone was due to growth hormone-releasing hormone secreted by the endocrine pancreatic tumor or to the possible presence of a pituitary microadenoma as a component of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type I syndrome.