Pancreatic islet cell carcinoid: A highly malignant form of carcinoid tumor

A 23‐year‐old man died four months after being admitted to the hospital because of back pain, 9.9 kg weight loss in 2 months, 8 to 10 loose stools per day, and periodic sweating. The carcinoid syndrome was present but no hypoglycemia. At autopsy, malignant carcinoid tumor was found in the pancreas. No other tumor was found in the usual primary sites for carcinoids. Biochemical findings and clinical data in retrospect support the morphologic diagnosis of pancreatic islet cell carcinoid tumor. Our case and a review of the literature emphasize that metastasizing tumors of the pancreas associated with excessive production of indolic compounds are frequently aggressive and the survival time is short (range 3 months to 4 years; mean 15 months).