Treatment of Other Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (Islet Cell Tumors)

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

For VIPoma, treatment may include the following:

• Fluids and hormone therapy to replace fluids and electrolytes that have been lost from the body.
• Surgery to remove the tumor and nearby lymph nodes.
• Surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible when the tumor cannot be completely removed or has spread to distant parts of the body. This is palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.
• For tumors that have spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
  • Surgery to remove the tumor.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgical ablation, if the tumor cannot be removed by surgery.
• For tumors that continue to grow during treatment or have spread to other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
  • Chemotherapy.
  • Targeted therapy.

For somatostatinoma, treatment may include the following:

• Surgery to remove the tumor.
• For cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body, surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
• For tumors that continue to grow during treatment or have spread to other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
  • Chemotherapy.
  • Targeted therapy.

Treatment of other types of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) may include the following:

• Surgery to remove the tumor.
• For cancer that has spread to distant parts of the body, surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible or hormone therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
• For tumors that continue to grow during treatment or have spread to other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
  • Chemotherapy.
  • Targeted therapy.

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.