Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors involve the small hormone-producing cells in the pancreas (islet cells).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors affect the small hormone-producing cells in the pancreas (islet cells).\nIn some pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, the tumor cells continue to produce hormones (these are called functional tumors), and the amount of hormone they release can be excessively high.\nIn non-functional tumors, however, no hormone production occurs.\nPancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are generally solid (firm) in structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the difference between pancreatic cancer, pancreatic cystic tumors, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors? (Functional tumors)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The type of cancer generally referred to as pancreatic cancer is a specific form called adenocarcinoma. Some cystic tumors carry a risk of transforming into adenocarcinoma once they reach a certain size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Neuroendocrine tumors are a distinct type of cancer and do not transform into adenocarcinoma. In some cases, both may be present in the pancreas. Treatment plans for pancreatic cancer and neuroendocrine tumors differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the causes of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The exact causes of neuroendocrine tumors are not yet fully known; however, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors develop as a result of changes (mutations) in the DNA of hormone-producing cells (islet cells) in the pancreas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the causes of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors usually do not show symptoms. In advanced stages, signs may include ulcers, a burning sensation in the chest, diabetes, muscle cramps, indigestion, diarrhea, skin rashes, abdominal or back pain, weight loss, fatigue, and weakness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Which methods are used for diagnosis?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For the diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, physical examination, tests showing elevated hormone levels, imaging methods such as CT, MRI, PET, and biopsy are used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n i. Nonfunctional neuroendocrine tumors<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonfunctional tumors make up 15\u201330% of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. These tumors do not secrete hormones in excess, which is why they are called nonfunctional tumors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They usually present with symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, weight loss, and jaundice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Diagnosis of nonfunctional neuroendocrine tumors may be delayed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ii. \u0130ns\u00fclinoma<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insulinoma develops in the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas and is more common in women. As a member of the functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET) group, insulinomas are usually benign and are the most common hormone-producing tumors of the pancreas. Since the tumor produces insulin irregularly, insulin secretion becomes continuous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insulinoma is detected using ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI imaging methods. Additionally, before diagnosis, a dietary test may be performed to observe abnormal hypoglycemia. The most appropriate treatment is the surgical removal of the insulinoma tumor in the pancreas. In cases of metastasis, chemotherapy may also be added to the treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n iii. Gastrinoma<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rarely, gastrinoma tumors may be found directly within the pancreas; however, they can also occur in surrounding organs such as the stomach or duodenum. These tumors are usually malignant and metastasize early. Elevated gastrin hormone due to the tumor causes stomach and intestinal ulcer symptoms. The treatment method is surgical removal of the tumor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n iv. Vipoma<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vipoma is one of the rare tumors. This tumor occurs in the hormone-secreting Langerhans cells of the pancreas and its name comes from VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide) and -oma (uncontrolled cell growth). In vipoma, there is uncontrolled overproduction in the cells producing vasoactive intestinal peptide. It is usually a benign tumor; however, due to the excessive secretion of vasoactive intestinal peptide, patients may experience diarrhea leading to dehydration, hypokalemia (low potassium in the blood), achlorhydria, acidosis, hypotension (low blood pressure), hypercalcemia (elevated calcium levels), and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). <\/p>\n\n\n\n v. Glukagonoma<\/p>\n\n\n\n Glucagonoma is one of the rare tumors in the pancreas, accounting for approximately 5\u201310% of all pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Glucagon is a hormone produced by the pancreas that works with insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Glucagonoma tumor cells, which produce large amounts of glucagon, cause high blood sugar, excessive thirst and hunger, frequent nighttime urination, diarrhea, weight loss, and blood clots in the legs\u2014painful and potentially life-threatening symptoms. Surgical removal of the tumor is required for treatment. Additionally, medical therapies may be used to manage the symptoms caused by the tumor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How are neuroendocrine tumors in the pancreas treated?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The treatment of neuroendocrine tumors varies depending on the tumor\u2019s type, location, hormone secretion, aggressiveness, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. Depending on these characteristics, treatment may include surgical removal of the tumor, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) combining a drug targeting cancer cells with a small amount of radioactive substance, radiotherapy, and medications to regulate increased hormone secretion. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pankreatik n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rler, pankreasta hormon \u00fcretimi yapan k\u00fc\u00e7\u00fck h\u00fccreleri (adac\u0131k h\u00fccreleri) tutar. Pankreatik n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerin baz\u0131lar\u0131nda, t\u00fcm\u00f6r h\u00fccreleri hormon sal\u0131n\u0131m\u0131 yapmaya devam eder (fonksiyonel t\u00fcm\u00f6rler olarak adland\u0131r\u0131l\u0131rlar) ve sald\u0131klar\u0131 hormon miktar\u0131 \u00e7ok fazla olur. Nonfonksiyonel t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerde ise hormon \u00fcretimi olmaz. Pankreas n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rleri genelde solid (sert) yap\u0131dad\u0131r. Pankreas kanserinin, pankreas kistik t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerinden ve pankreas n\u00f6roendokrin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[24,19,20],"class_list":["post-1908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pankreas","tag-noroendokrin-tumoru","tag-pankreas-hastaliklari","tag-pankreas-tumoru"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru-300x150.jpg",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru-768x384.jpg",768,384,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",18,9,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Prof. Dr. Mert Erkan","author_link":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/author\/jda\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Pankreatik n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rler, pankreasta hormon \u00fcretimi yapan k\u00fc\u00e7\u00fck h\u00fccreleri (adac\u0131k h\u00fccreleri) tutar. Pankreatik n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerin baz\u0131lar\u0131nda, t\u00fcm\u00f6r h\u00fccreleri hormon sal\u0131n\u0131m\u0131 yapmaya devam eder (fonksiyonel t\u00fcm\u00f6rler olarak adland\u0131r\u0131l\u0131rlar) ve sald\u0131klar\u0131 hormon miktar\u0131 \u00e7ok fazla olur. Nonfonksiyonel t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerde ise hormon \u00fcretimi olmaz. Pankreas n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rleri genelde solid (sert) yap\u0131dad\u0131r. Pankreas kanserinin, pankreas kistik t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerinden ve pankreas n\u00f6roendokrin…","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru-300x150.jpg",300,150,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",1200,600,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Pankreas-noroendokrin-Tumoru.jpg",18,9,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Prof. Dr. Mert Erkan","author_link":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/author\/jda\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Pankreas<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Pankreatik n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rler, pankreasta hormon \u00fcretimi yapan k\u00fc\u00e7\u00fck h\u00fccreleri (adac\u0131k h\u00fccreleri) tutar. Pankreatik n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerin baz\u0131lar\u0131nda, t\u00fcm\u00f6r h\u00fccreleri hormon sal\u0131n\u0131m\u0131 yapmaya devam eder (fonksiyonel t\u00fcm\u00f6rler olarak adland\u0131r\u0131l\u0131rlar) ve sald\u0131klar\u0131 hormon miktar\u0131 \u00e7ok fazla olur. Nonfonksiyonel t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerde ise hormon \u00fcretimi olmaz. Pankreas n\u00f6roendokrin t\u00fcm\u00f6rleri genelde solid (sert) yap\u0131dad\u0131r. Pankreas kanserinin, pankreas kistik t\u00fcm\u00f6rlerinden ve pankreas n\u00f6roendokrin…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1909,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1908\/revisions\/1909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profdrmerterkan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}