Malignant insulinoma with metastasis to gallbladder and bone, accompanied by past history of peptic ulcer and hyperthyroidism

Malignant Insulinoma with Multiple Liver Metastases and Hypercalcitoninemia in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Presenting as Recurrent Episodes of Diaphoresis due to Severe Hypoglycemia

Insulinoma is an insulin-producing pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor that can be malignant in about 10% of cases. Locoregional invasion, lymph node metastases, or remote metastases are the main criteria of malignant insulinoma. Its incidence in patients with pre-existing diabetes mellitus (DM) is exceptionally rare. In this report, we describe a 66-year-old man with long-standing type 2 DM who presented with recurrent episodes of diaphoresis due to severe hypoglycemia despite the withdrawal of insulin therapy, hypercalcitoninemia, and biochemical and radiological findings suggestive of metastatic malignant insulinoma. Unfortunately, after few days of diazoxide treatment, edema, hypotension, oliguria, and water retention were observed, patient's clinical status deteriorated rapidly, and he died in our department from acute renal failure.

Successful control of intractable hypoglycemia using radiopharmaceutical therapy with strontium-89 in a case with malignant insulinoma and bone metastases

This report describes the case of a 57-year-old woman with liver and bone metastases from malignant insulinoma, who was afflicted with severe hypoglycemia. Treatment of the liver metastases using octreotide, diazoxide and transarterial embolization failed to raise her blood glucose level and she required constant glucose infusion (about 1000 kcal/day) and oral feeding (about 2200 kcal/day) to avoid a hypoglycemic attack. Subsequently, 110 MBq (2.0 MBq/kg) of strontium-89 were administered by intravenous injection. Three weeks after the strontium-89 injection, we could reduce the dose of constant glucose infusion while maintaining a euglycemic status. Six weeks after the injection, the constant glucose infusion was discontinued. Although strontium-89 therapy is indicated for patients with multiple painful bone metastases, it was also useful as a means of inhibiting tumor activity and controlling hypoglycemia in this case. To our knowledge, this is the first report to provide evidence that strontium-89 can be useful in controlling intractable hypoglycemia in patients with malignant insulinoma with bone metastases.

Surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with metastasis to the gallbladder: report of a case

A metastatic tumor of the gallbladder is rare. There have so far been no detailed reports of a resection of the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to the gallbladder published in the English literature. This report presents the case of a surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with metastasis to the gallbladder. A 48-year-old woman consulted her primary care physician due to chest discomfort. Tumors in the liver and gallbladder were unexpectedly found and she was thus referred to this hospital. The radiologic studies showed two tumors. A round-shaped tumor, 30 mm in diameter, in the fossa of the gallbladder of the liver protruded into the lumen of the gallbladder, and a lobulated shaped tumor, measuring 13 mm, was in S5 of the liver. Angiography demonstrated that these tumors showed a pattern of early enhancement and washout. An en bloc resection of the gallbladder and the liver surrounding the gallbladder was performed, and the final diagnosis was moderately differentiated HCC in segment S5 with gallbladder metastasis. The patient is currently doing well 2 years after surgery, without any signs of recurrence. This case demonstrated that good clinical outcome could be achieved by performing surgery in HCC patients with metastasis to the gallbladder.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma in an adult patient presenting with ventricular arrhythmia

Cardiac rhabdomyomas are extremely uncommon in the adult patient. We describe a previously healthy man who presented with ventricular arrhythmias resulting from a right ventricular, cardiac rhabdomyoma. Echocardiography, CT scanning, and MRI are recognized as useful diagnostic modalities for intracardiac lesions. Cardiac catheterization in our patient demonstrated the presence of a tumor blush. This has not previously been reported with cardiac rhabdomyomas. Although lesions may spontaneously regress, surgery is often necessary and frequently resolves the underlying arrhythmia.

Anatomic distribution of pancreatic endocrine tumors

Pancreatic endocrine tumors are grouped together by their common histologic, cytochemical, and ultrastructural features. Although useful conceptually, this paradigm has been unable to predict the anatomic location of different tumor types. Successful surgical excision of these tumors would be facilitated by an improved understanding of their anatomic distribution. Based on the available data, a bimodal distribution of pancreatic endocrine tumors was identified. Cluster 1 (gastrinomas, pancreatic polypeptide (PP)-secreting tumors, somatostatinomas) had 75% of tumors to the right of the superior mesenteric artery, whereas cluster 2 (insulinoma, glucagonoma) had 75% of tumors to the left of the superior mesenteric artery (p less than 0.05). This distribution is similar to that distribution predicted based on the volume density of the corresponding islet cells for insulinoma, glucagonoma, and PP-secreting tumors, but not for somatostatinoma. These findings suggest that pancreatic endocrine tumors are derived from similar cytologic precursors as pancreatic islet cells, and their distribution may be a consequence of embryologic development from either the ventral (cluster 1) or dorsal (cluster 2) pancreatic buds.