Endocrine, Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors

Endocrine (Neuroendocrine) Tumors

Accounting for less than 5% of all pancreatic tumors are endocrine tumors, also called neuroendocrine or islet cell tumors. The islet cells of the pancreas produce hormones including insulin, glucagon and somatostatin. A major function of these hormones is to control the amount of sugar in the blood. Endocrine tumors may be benign or malignant and tend to be slower growing than exocrine tumors. In addition, these tumors are categorized as functional (produce hormones) or nonfunctional (produce no hormones). The majority of functional endocrine tumors are benign. However, 90% of nonfunctional endocrine tumors are malignant, or cancerous. The following table describes the different types of pancreatic endocrine tumors.

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Endocrine, Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors