Insulinomas

Insulinomas, although rare, are the most common functioning neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas. They are mainly sporadic but can be associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1(MEN-1). Patients experience neuroglycopenic and adrenergic symptoms which occur with episodes of hypoglycemia. Diagnosis involves a supervised fast, which detects high levels of insulin during hypoglycemia. Once a diagnosis is made, various noninvasive and invasive localization techniques can be utilized to determine the surgical approach and the amount of resection. Surgical management is the main treatment modality, which has a high success rate, obtaining cure in majority of patients leading to a normal life span.