Benefit of resection of metastatic gastrinoma in multiple endocrine neoplasia type I

Abstract

Although gastrinoma resection is generally advocated for patients with the sporadic form of nonmetastatic Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, there is controversy regarding the surgical management of the gastrinoma among patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN-I). Using strict criteria, to date no biochemical cures of the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome lasting 5 months have been achieved by gastrinoma resection among patients with MEN-I. Whereas resections of hepatic metastases have been performed in patients with sporadic gastrinoma, none have been reported among patients with MEN-I. The current report describes a patient with MEN-I, closely followed up for 30 years, in whom enlargement of pancreatic gastrinoma and development of hepatic gastrinoma was observed to occur over 3 years. After preoperative localization, an 80% pancreatectomy and a left lateral segmentectomy of the liver were performed. Sixteen months after the operation, secretin and calcium provocative testing showed that the patient's fasting gastrin and stimulated plasma gastrin concentrations were normal; also, results of computerized tomographic angiography, selective abdominal angiography, and hepatic venous sampling for gastrin after intra-arterial secretin injection were negative for gastrinoma. By achieving a 16-month cure of gastrinoma, this case shows that an aggressive surgical approach can benefit certain patients with gastrinoma who have MEN-I even in the presence of hepatic metastases.