Calcitonin-Secreting Tumor of the Pancreas

Abstract

Pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) are unusual tumors arising from cells belonging generically to the amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation systems. We present a case of a calcitonin-secreting PET in a 56-year-old female who presented with watery diarrhea, dehydration and hypokalemia. Investigation revealed hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypercalcitonemia and a well-defined mass in the head of the pancreas on CT scan. Following a pancreaticoduodenectomy her serum calcitonin levels returned to normal and diarrhea disappeared. The identification of this particularly rare presentation of a calcitonin-secreting PET provides the opportunity to examine this pathological entity within the context of the very few previously reported instances of this disease.

Digestive calcitonin-secreting tumors of the foregut: comparison with non-calcitonin-secreting tumors

“…Nonetheless, we think that a bias overestimating the frequency of functional signs exists in those case reports because it is probable that the calcitonin concentration was measured because of the presence of functional signs and not systematically. The functional sign was hydroelectrolyte diarrhea [3,8,20,21]. Calcitonin has a direct effect on intestinal mobility and hydroelectrolyte exchanges in the small intestine [18,22].…”

Multimodality Management of a Polyfunctional Pancreatic Endocrine Carcinoma With Markedly Elevated Serum Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide and Calcitonin Levels

“…14 Another case of calcitonin-secreting NET of the pancreatic head has been described in a 56-year-old woman with watery diarrhea, dehydration, hypokalemia, and elevated serum calcitonin. 15 Following pancreaticoduodenectomy, her serum calcitonin levels returned to normal, and her diarrhea disappeared.…”

Differentiation between Thyroidal and Ectopic Calcitonin Secretion in patients with Coincidental Thyroid Nodules and Pancreatic Tumors – A Report of Two Cases

“…Most patients present with diarrhoea and fl ushing [18] . This may be attributed to an additional secretion of VIP and somatostatin [5,17,41] . In our second patient, both abdominal pain and absent stimulation of elevated basal CT levels after pentagastrin administration led us to consider possible ectopic CT production.…”