Uncommon pancreatic tumours…..when in doubt cut them out, procrastination is the thief of time

Neuroendocrine tumours are rare pancreatic tumours that may not produce symptoms until they assume a fairly large size. Sometimes they may be detected by the effects of the hormones that they produce in excess and by this time they may have metastasized and become inoperable. Some patients have these tumours detected incidentally and are fortunate enough to be eligible for potenially curative surgery. Notable examples being Steve Jobs (Apple CEO). I recently operated a young lady with such a tumour who was being managed conservatively for gallstones and hence had a follow-up ultrasound that detected the tumour.

Unusual pancreatic tumour

Intraoperative photograph with loop around neck of pancreas