pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor
(PAN-kree-A-tik NOOR-oh-EN-doh-krin TOO-mer)
A tumor that forms
in islet cells (hormone-making cells) of the pancreas.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors may be
benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Islet cells make
several different hormones that affect body functions,
including controlling the amount of glucose (sugar) in the
blood and helping digest food in the stomach. Functional
pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors make extra
amounts of these hormones, which can cause symptoms.
Nonfunctional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
do not make extra amounts of hormones, but they may cause
symptoms as they grow and spread. Also called islet cell tumor and pancreatic endocrine tumor.