Islet Cell Cancer

Symptoms

Islet cell cancer causes few, if any, symptoms in its early stages. By the time it is diagnosed, it frequently involves lymph nodes and the liver. Even at that stage, however, treatment can result in years of quality life.

Symptoms of islet cell cancer may include: fatigue, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and loss of appetite. Other symptoms may result from excessive hormone production and may include:

• Ulcers and diarrhea, which result from too much acid in the stomach, because the tumor produces too much gastrin.
• Hypoglycemia (too little sugar in the blood), which results from too much insulin and causes the body to store sugar instead of burning it for energy.
• Hyperglycemia (too much sugar in the blood), which results from too much glucagon.
• Extreme diarrhea, hypokalemia (low blood potassium) and decreased acid in the stomach, which results from too much vasoactive intestinal peptide.
• Weight gain and potential diabetes, which results from excessive cortisone production.