Two Cases of Nonfunctioning Islet Cell Tumor of the Pancreas

We experienced two patients with nonfunctioning ilset cell tumor of the pancrease. In case 1, a 41-year-old woman was admitted with consultation of multiple pancreatic tumors from another hospital. Resected specimen after the pancreaticoduodectomy with resection of pancreatic body revealed three tumors located in the pancreatic head and body. Histopathological examination led to diagnosis of malignant islet cell tumor. In case 2, 24-year-old woman was admitted with further examination of left upper abdominal mass. As the tumor was extruded from surface of pancreatic tail, extirpation of the tumor was carried out. Histopathological diagnosis was islet cell tumor, but malignancy was not able to be ruled out. As in both cases any clinical syndromes due to hormonal hypersecretion were historycally not recoginized and pre-operative fasting plasma levels of insulin, glucagon and gastrin were normal, nonfunctioning islet cell tumors were suggested. In general it is well known that islet cell tumor is slow growing and has a relatively good prognosis if thought histopathological diangosis is malignant. In our two cases any findings of recurrence were also not seen one year and six months after the operation. So, we suggest that active surgical resection is important to control of islet cell tumor, even in case of multiple tumors.