A Functional Study of a Case of Glucagonoma Exhibiting Typical Glucagonoma Syndrome

    February 1986 in “ Cancer ”
    Jun Fujita, Yutaka Seino, Hitoshi Ishida, Tomohiko Taminato, Shigeru Matsukura, Takeshi Horio, Sadao Imamura, Atsushi Naito, Takayoshi Tobe, Kiyoyuki Takahashi, Osamu Midorikawa, Hiroo Imura
    TLDR A pancreatic tumor caused high glucagon levels and symptoms, but treatment reduced glucagon and shrank liver tumors.
    The study focused on a 46-year-old man with a 7-year history of necrolytic migratory erythema, weight loss, abnormal glucose tolerance, anemia, glossitis, hair loss, and hypoproteinemia, all indicative of glucagonoma syndrome. The patient exhibited significantly elevated fasting plasma glucagon levels, which increased further with glucose, meals, and arginine, but decreased with somatostatin and insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Imaging revealed a large pancreatic tumor with metastases, confirmed as glucagonoma post-surgery. Despite tumor resection, high glucagon levels persisted, leading to chemotherapy with dimethyltriazenoimidazole carboxamide, which reduced glucagon levels and tumor size.
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