Gastrinoma is essentially a tumor that is located in the pancreas. This tumor in large quantities secretes gastrin. The disease can manifest itself in the form of peptic ulcers and diarrhea. As a rule, this disease affects men( about 60 percent of cases).Most often the tumor is malignant in nature.
Causes of gastrinoma
The main cause of tumor development is hereditary predisposition, which manifests itself in the form of multiple type endocrine meoplasia. In this case, the neoplasm appears in malignant cell division, of which endocrine glands are composed.
The appearance of peptic ulcers occurs as a result of active production of gastric juices and, as a consequence, hydrochloric acid.
Symptoms of pancreatic gastrinoma
Gastrinomas can be classified as severe peptic ulcer, which is very resistant to drug treatment. Ulcers that occur in large numbers are difficult to treat and constantly recur.
In case of perforation of ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding may occur, in which the life of the patient is at risk. As subjective symptoms of gastrinoma, severe pain in the epigastric region, frequent eructations and heartburn may occur. In addition, one can observe the narrowing of the esophagus.
The penetration of hydrochloric acid into the intestines damages the mucous membrane and depresses the absorption processes. As a result, severe diarrhea may appear. The patient can complain of a copious and watery stool.
If the pancreatic gastrinoma is malignant, a significant reduction in the weight of the patient can be observed. In many patients, metastases spread to the liver and other organs.
Diagnosis and treatment of
The assumption that the patient suffers from gastrinoma can occur with persistent relapses of peptic ulcer that are not amenable to medication treatment.
Diagnosis of the disease can be carried out using an X-ray examination, as well as endoscopy. Visually, the tumor can be seen with ultrasound, tomography, and angiography of the abdominal type.
The most effective diagnostic method is angiography. During this diagnosis, blood is collected from the veins of the pancreatic type. The presence of gastrin is detected in the blood. It is difficult to determine the precise location of tumors due to their small size and multiplicity. Therefore, for diagnostic purposes, as a rule, several methods are applied simultaneously.
Treatment of pancreatic gastrinoma is most often performed by surgery. Prior to surgery, patients may be prescribed traditional antiulcer medications to reduce pain. If these do not have a positive effect, the doctor offers the patient drugs that reduce the intensity of production of hydrochloric acid in the body.
If traditional treatment does not bring results, resort to the removal of the stomach. The tumor is not removed, but gastrin can no longer influence the organ, so the symptoms no longer appear. After surgery, the patient is prescribed vitamin B12 and special supplements with calcium content.
If the tumor passes to other organs, chemotherapy is performed to suppress tumor growth. However, even such treatment is not a guarantee of a favorable outcome.