Islet Cell Cancer

Diagnosis

When Mayo Clinic physicians suspect islet cell cancer, they confirm the diagnosis with
state-of-the-art testing procedures. Some tests to diagnosis islet cell tumors include:

• Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the abdomen that identify a tumor. A technician places a wandlike device (transducer) on the surface of the abdomen and monitors the image on the screen.
• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) uses an endoscope (flexible tube) to pass an ultrasound probe into the stomach. A computer can translate sound waves directed toward the pancreas into images that identify tumors. These images are especially useful in identifying small tumors and in determining the disease's stage. EUS may be combined with a biopsy to gather ultrasound images and sample tissue cells.
• Computed tomography (CT) scans generate two-dimensional images that may reveal whether cancer has invaded other tissues or organs. Spiral CT scans produce high-resolution two-dimensional images, and multi-detector row spiral CT scans can create high-resolution three-dimensional images.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the pancreas and to identify small abnormalities seen in two- and three-dimensional views.
• An octreoscan uses radio-labeled octreotide, which interacts with specific receptors frequently found on carcinoid tumors, to locate areas of the disease throughout the body.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) technology uses radioactive materials to identify metabolically active tissues. X-rays generate two-dimensional views to help physicians locate abnormalities.
• Biopsy. During a biopsy, a physician administers local anesthetic, then gently guides a small needle through the skin to remove a small tissue sample. A pathologist examines the sample under a microscope. Ultrasound or CT scans help the radiologist locate the tumor. Tissue samples can also be removed during EUS, when an endoscope is passed into the bile duct where it empties into the small intestine. The surgeon scrapes cells from the lining of the duct with a small brush.
• Laparoscopy. If tissue cannot be easily obtained by a biopsy, then laparoscopy may be performed in an operating room under general anesthesia. After guiding a small camera into the abdomen through a half-inch incision, the surgeon views the images to determine whether the tumor has spread outside the pancreas to other organs or structures in the abdomen. The doctor can remove a tissue sample during this procedure.