[Endocrine tumors of the pancreas: immunohistochemical and clinical correlation]

24 out of 28 cases of pancreatic endocrine tumors were studied by immunohistochemistry. They comprised 11 insulinomas, 3 gastrinomas, 1 VIPoma, 1 glucagonoma and 8 with no endocrine syndrome. 7 patients presented metastasis by the time of diagnosis. In 14 out of 16 cases of tumors with endocrine syndrome, there was a good correlation between clinical syndrome and histological findings. Half of these neoplasms showed positivity for more than one hormone but only one cell type predominated which was responsible for the endocrine syndrome. The other hormonal stainings had no clinical expression. Bouin- or Dubosq-fixed samples allowed a better immunohistochemical analysis than for formalin-fixed tissues. Chromogranin was found to be the best general marker for endocrine tumors. Immunohistochemical staining, when positive, generally showed a diffuse coloration of the cytoplasm. Sometimes it resembled a "coup d'ongle" or a single granular staining, but its significance is still unknown.