GASTRINOMA

SYMPTOMS

A gastrinoma can cause the following symptoms:

• Stomach ache
• Irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, or heartburn
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Weight loss
• Bleeding
• Lack of appetite

When you have a recurrent ulcer which is one of these disorders, the doctor may want to screen for the following:

• A puncture and hemorrhage in the intestine
• Calcium deficiency
• A background of gastrinomas in the family
• Gastric acid that doesn’t seem to go away despite therapy

DIAGNOSIS

If you have ulcers that aren’t responding to therapy, your doctor may suggest testing. To help diagnose gastrinoma, do the following methods:

• Fasting serum gastrin/secretin test. The capacity of the pancreas to react to the protein secretin is measured in this test, which helps to detect pancreatic disorders. Your doctor will inject the estrone into the circulation and evaluate how your body reacts.
• A pH test of the stomach. An endoscopy is used to determine the quantity of stomach acid in the stomach. 
• Image testing. The doctor may order an MRI or a CT scan to establish the position of the tumor and if it has outspread to other organs.
• Biopsy. It is the following step if the medical provider detects a tumor. The doctor obtained a tumor sample and sent it to a facility for examination.

TREATMENT

How the medical care provider treats gastrinoma depends on the area of tumors and if they’ve migrated to other places of the body. The primary therapy is surgery, which aims to remove a tumor from the body and cure the condition.

The tumor’s location also determines the technique your doctor prescribes. A number of surgical devices are applied, including:

• Complete removal of the tumor
• Eliminating the top of the pancreas or the tip of the pancreatic
• Resection of the small intestine (removal of part of the small bowel and the tumor)
• Surgery to treat cancer that spreads to some organs