(Newswire.net — December 27, 2019) — Insulinoma is a disease that occurs in the cells of the pancreas. This is a result of a violation of the antitumor defense processes in the cells of the pancreas, which are responsible for the production of hormones that regulate the carbohydrate metabolism in our body. It can lead to hypersecretion of insulin, which is the hormone responsible for glucose metabolism. The formation of insulinomas is less common in other cells which are usually located in the intestine, spleen, stomach or liver. Often, insulinoma is a non-threatening neoplasm, but in rare cases, its transformation into a malignant tumor is possible.
Symptoms of insulinoma
Clinical manifestations of the tumor, for example, pain and weight loss usually do not arise early. That is why the diagnosis may not be established at an initial stage. By the time the patient visits the doctor, the tumor may spread metastases. By the time the diagnosis is established, 90% of patients have a locally advanced tumor that grows in the retroperitoneal space, spreading to regional lymph nodes, or metastasizing to the liver and lungs. Most patients have pain in the upper abdomen, which most often radiates to the back. Weight loss can be a sign of a tumor of this type.
Insulinoma is characterized by periods of relative well-being, which change into phases of severe hypoglycemia. Such attacks are more common in the morning, on an empty stomach or after a long break between meals. The patient may behave inappropriately, be aggressive, be not able to answer simple questions. These signs of impaired consciousness are associated with carbohydrate starvation of the central nervous system. At the moment, methods for preventing the development of insulinomas have not been elaborated, since the causes of its development have not been established yet.
Risk factors
Quitting bad habits and adherence to an active lifestyle will reduce the chances of developing cancer, but no one can guarantee full protection against cancer. The cause of pancreatic cancer is not fully understood, but there are main factors that contribute to the development of this disease:
- Smoking.
- Metabolic disorders (obesity, type 2 diabetes).
- Harmful working conditions.
- Improper nutrition. A negative effect is noticed in consumption of large amounts of meat and fatty foods, as well as the lack of fiber in the diet.
- Genetic factors.
- Heredity. The risk group includes people, whose close relatives have had this disease.
- Benign pancreatic neoplasms.
Ways of insulinoma diagnosing
Insulinoma does not have any specific symptom, so it can only be detected with regular examinations by an endocrinologist. The following diagnostic methods are used in this disease: angiography, catheterization of the portal system and computed tomography of the pancreas.
- Angiographic diagnosis of insulinoma is based on the hypervascularization of these tumor.
- Sometimes a tumor can be detected with such studies as CT or MRI.
- Recently, a portal vein catheterization method has been increasingly used for determining the level of immunoreactive insulin in the veins of various parts of the pancreas. Based on its maximum rate, we can verify the presence of a malignant process.
Treatments for insulinoma
In connection with the anatomical and physiological features of the pancreas, questions of reducing operational risk gain the paramount importance. Risk reduction during surgery is achieved by appropriate preoperative preparation, choosing the most rational method of anesthesia, achieving minimal trauma during the manipulations when searching for and removing a tumor, and conducting preventive and therapeutic measures during the postoperative period.
- Surgery. Depending on the spreading of the process and the type of tumor, partial pancreatic resection or its complete excision together with neighboring organs — the gallbladder, spleen, and duodenum — can be performed.
- Radiation therapy. Its a modern method of radiation therapy, in some cases an alternative to surgical treatment. The main advantage of this technique is the most accurate delivery of high doses of radiation directly to the tumor site.
- Chemotherapy is a treatment method aimed at destroying or slowing down the growth of cancer cells by introducing special drugs into the body – cytostatics.
Treatment of insulinoma abroad is available to everyone
Thanks to the development of medicine, a highly effective treatment of insulinoma abroad has become available in our time. Booking Health provides insulinoma treatment services in Germany. With its help, patients can easily choose programs for the treatment abroad and find the high-quality healthcare institutions and doctors for themselves. The company also will help you choose the best clinic for treatment and take care about all the organizational issues.