Islet cell tumors of the pancreas - The medical oncologist's perspective

Islet cell carcinomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that arise from the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Up to half of these tumors secrete one or more biologically active peptides. The only known cure is surgical resection. Patients with metastatic or unresectable disease can be palliated with mechanical ablative techniques such as hepatic arterial mobilization, radiation therapy palliative surgery, or chemotherapy. Current chemotherapies have only modest efficacy, and therefore patients should be encouraged to enroll in clinical trials testing newer antineoplastic agents to treatment modalities.