Gastrinoma
Insulinoma
Glucagonoma
Other Islet Cell Tumors
Recurrent Islet Cell Tumors

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Treatment of gastrinoma may include supportive care and the following:

• For symptoms caused by stomach acid, treatment may be a drug that decreases the amount of acid made by the stomach.
• For a single tumor in the head of the pancreas:
  • Surgery to remove the tumor.
  • Surgery to cut the nerve that causes stomach cells to make acid and treatment with a drug that decreases stomach acid.
  • Surgery to remove the whole stomach.
• For a single tumor in the body or tail of the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas.
• For several tumors in the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas. If tumor remains after surgery, treatment may include either:
  • Surgery to cut the nerve that causes stomach cells to make acid and treatment with a drug that decreases stomach acid; or
  • Surgery to remove the whole stomach.
• For one or more tumors in the duodenum (the part of the small intestine that connects to the stomach), treatment is usually the Whipple procedure.
• If no tumor is found, treatment may include the following:
  • Surgery to cut the nerve that causes stomach cells to make acid and treatment with a drug that decreases stomach acid.
  • Surgery to remove the whole stomach.
• If the cancer has spread to the liver, treatment may include:
  • Surgery to remove part or all of the liver.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgical ablation.
  • Chemoembolization.
• If cancer has spread to other parts of the body or does not get better with surgery or drugs to decrease stomach acid, treatment may include:
  • Combination chemotherapy.
  • Hormone therapy.
• If the cancer mostly affects the liver and the patient has severe symptoms from hormones or from the size of tumor, treatment may include:
  • Hepatic arterial occlusion, with or without systemic chemotherapy.
  • Chemoembolization, with or without systemic chemotherapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with gastrinoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Enlarge

Pea, peanut, walnut, and lime show tumor sizes.

Treatment of insulinoma may include the following:

• For one tumor in the head of the pancreas or one tumor smaller than 1 centimeter in the tail, treatment is usually surgery to remove the tumor.
• For one tumor larger than 1 centimeter in the body or tail of the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas.
• For more than one tumor in the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas.
• For tumors that have spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
  • Surgery.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgical ablation, if the tumor cannot be removed by surgery.
• For tumors that cannot be removed by surgery, treatment may include the following:
  • Combination chemotherapy.
  • Palliative drug therapy to decrease the amount of insulin made by the pancreas.
  • Hormone therapy.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgical ablation.
• If the cancer mostly affects the liver and the patient has severe symptoms from hormones or from the size of tumor, treatment may be hepatic arterial occlusion or chemoembolization. Some patients may also receive systemic chemotherapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with insulinoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment may include the following:

• For one tumor in the head of the pancreas or one tumor smaller than 1 centimeter in the tail, treatment is usually surgery to remove the tumor.
• For one tumor larger than 1 centimeter in the tail of the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas.
• For more than one tumor in the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas.
• For tumors that have spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
  • Surgery.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgical ablation, if the tumor cannot be removed by surgery.
• For tumors that cannot be removed by surgery, treatment may include the following:
  • Combination chemotherapy.
  • Hormone therapy.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgical ablation.
• If the cancer mostly affects the liver and the patient has severe symptoms from hormones or from the size of tumor, treatment may be hepatic arterial occlusion or chemoembolization. Some patients may also receive systemic chemotherapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with glucagonoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of other types of islet cell tumors may include the following:

• For one tumor in the head of the pancreas or one tumor smaller than 1 centimeter in the tail, treatment is usually surgery to remove the tumor.
• For one tumor larger than 1 centimeter in the tail of the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas.
• For more than one tumor in the pancreas, treatment is usually surgery to remove the body and tail of the pancreas.
• For tumors that have spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
  • Surgery.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgical ablation, if the tumor cannot be removed by surgery.
• For tumors that cannot be removed by surgery, treatment may include the following:
  • Combination chemotherapy.
  • Hormone therapy.
• If the cancer mostly affects the liver and the patient has severe symptoms from hormones or from the size of tumor, treatment may be hepatic arterial occlusion or chemoembolization. Some patients may also receive systemic chemotherapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with islet cell tumor. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Treatment of recurrent islet cell tumors may include the following:

• Surgery.
• Hormone therapy.
• Regional chemotherapy.
• Hepatic arterial occlusion or chemoembolization, with or without systemic chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of a new therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent islet cell carcinoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

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