Large Fibrogenic Tumors and Hypoglycemia

Spells of unconsciousness resembling strokes and accompanied by symptoms and findings of hypoglycemia have occasionally been reported in connection with large tumors in the pelvis or abdomen. In the present case a 64-year-old woman had repeated attacks of unconsciousness with temporary right-sided paralysis. The blood sugar, determined on 5 different occasions, ranged from 35 to 58 mg. per 100 cc. A large, fixed mass noted in the pelvis was found at laparotomy to be 20 cm. in diameter and to weigh 1.7 kg. It appeared to be a fibrous mesothelioma of low-grade malignancy and to contain neither any insulin nor any recognizable pancreatic tissue. In the 21/2 years after its removal, the patient has been free from symptoms of hypoglycemia.