Attention-enhanced multiscale feature fusion network for pancreas and tumor segmentation.

BACKGROUND: Accurate pancreas and pancreatic tumor segmentation from abdominal scans is crucial for diagnosing and treating pancreatic diseases. Automated and reliable segmentation algorithms are highly desirable in both clinical practice and research. PURPOSE: Segmenting the pancreas and tumors is challenging due to their low contrast, irregular morphologies, and variable anatomical locations. Additionally, the substantial difference in size between the pancreas and small tumors makes this task difficult. This paper proposes an attention-enhanced multiscale feature fusion network (AMFF-Net) to address these issues via 3D attention and multiscale context fusion methods. METHODS: First, to prevent missed segmentation of tumors, we design the residual depthwise attention modules (RDAMs) to extract global features by expanding receptive fields of shallow layers in the encoder. Second, hybrid transformer modules (HTMs) are proposed to model deep semantic features and suppress irrelevant regions while highlighting critical anatomical characteristics. Additionally, the multiscale feature fusion module (MFFM) fuses adjacent top and bottom scale semantic features to address the size imbalance issue. RESULTS: The proposed AMFF-Net was evaluated on the public MSD dataset, achieving 82.12% DSC for pancreas and 57.00% for tumors. It also demonstrated effective segmentation performance on the NIH and private datasets, outperforming previous State-Of-The-Art (SOTA) methods. Ablation studies verify the effectiveness of RDAMs, HTMs, and MFFM. CONCLUSIONS: We propose an effective deep learning network for pancreas and tumor segmentation from abdominal CT scans. The proposed modules can better leverage global dependencies and semantic information and achieve significantly higher accuracy than the previous SOTA methods.

Treatment strategies for borderline resectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: a narrative review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are a group of rare, heterogeneous tumors that originate in the endocrine tissue of the pancreas and account for 1-2% of all pancreatic neoplasms. The majority of pNETs are non-functional and typically follow a more indolent course. Especially at early stages, the primary management of pNETs is surgical resection which is associated with relatively low rates of recurrence and excellent long-term prognosis. On the other hand, some patients will present with locally advanced primary tumors or low volume metastatic disease in which complete surgical resection may be more difficult to achieve and recurrence rates are significant. Unlike treatment of borderline resectable (BR) pancreatic adenocarcinoma, in which neoadjuvant treatment strategies are becoming standardized, borderline resectability is not a currently established terminology for pNETs and the optimal multidisciplinary treatment approach is poorly understood. METHODS: We performed a literature search on PubMed, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov using keywords, including 'pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor' and 'borderline resectable'. All studies and review articles in English with full text were considered. Each publication was independently reviewed. KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS: We introduce the concept of BR-pNETs, focusing on important criteria that should be included in their definition by balancing the feasibility of resection and the clinical utility of surgery. We suggest that extended resection, involving vascular reconstruction, adjacent organ resection, and/or liver metastasis, should be considered at experienced, high volume centers. Furthermore, we outline multidisciplinary treatment strategies, including systemic and locoregional treatment options, for optimizing outcomes for this growing patient population. CONCLUSIONS: Formalizing the definition of resectability in pNETs through multidisciplinary collaborative research will be important for standardizing the indications for multimodality treatment and aggressive surgical approaches for patients.

Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: What Is the Best Surgical Option?

Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) represent a rare subset of pancreatic cancer. Functional tumors cause hormonal changes and clinical syndromes, while non-functional ones are often diagnosed late. Surgical management needs multidisciplinary planning, involving enucleation, distal pancreatectomy with or without spleen preservation, central pancreatectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy or total pancreatectomy. Minimally invasive approaches have increased in the last decade compared to the open technique. The aim of this study was to analyze the current diagnostic and surgical trends for pNETs, to identify better interventions and their outcomes. Methods: The study adhered to the PRISMA guidelines, conducting a systematic review of the literature from May 2008 to March 2022 across multiple databases. Several combinations of keywords were used ("NET", "pancreatic", "surgery", "laparoscopic", "minimally invasive", "robotic", "enucleation", "parenchyma sparing") and relevant article references were manually checked. The manuscript quality was evaluated. Results: The study screened 3867 manuscripts and twelve studies were selected, primarily from Italy, the United States, and China. A total of 7767 surgically treated patients were collected from 160 included centers. The mean age was 56.3 y.o. Enucleation (EN) and distal pancreatectomy (DP) were the most commonly performed surgeries and represented 43.4% and 38.6% of the total interventions, respectively. Pancreatic fistulae, postoperative bleeding, re-operation, and follow-up were recorded and analyzed. Conclusions: Enucleation shows better postoperative outcomes and lower mortality rates compared to pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) or distal pancreatectomy (DP), despite the similar risks of postoperative pancreatic fistulae (POPF). DP is preferred over enucleation for the pancreas body-tail, while laparoscopic enucleation is better for head pNETs.

Position Prior Attention Network for Pancreas Tumor Segmentation.

Segmentation of pancreatic tumors on CT images is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. However, low contrast between the pancreas and the tumor, as well as variable tumor shape and position, makes segmentation challenging. To solve the problem, we propose a Position Prior Attention Network (PPANet) with a pseudo segmentation generation module (PSGM) and a position prior attention module (PPAM). PSGM and PPAM maps pancreatic and tumor pseudo segmentation to latent space to generate position prior attention map and supervises location classification. The proposed method is evaluated on pancreatic patient data collected from local hospital and the experimental results demonstrate that our method can significantly improve the tumor segmentation results by introducing the position information in the training phase.

Thermodynamic Sensitivity of Blood Plasma Components in Patients Afflicted with Skin, Breast and Pancreatic Forms of Cancer.

According to the World Health Organization's 2018 Global Cancer Survey, cancer is the second leading cause of death. From this survey, the third most common is breast cancer, the fifth is melanoma malignum and pancreatic adenocarcinoma ranks twentieth. Undoubtedly, the early diagnosis and monitoring of these tumors and related research is important for aspects of patient care. The aim of our present review was to explain an impressive methodology that is deemed suitable in reference to studying blood sample deviations in the case of solid tumors. Essentially, we compared the heat denaturation responses of blood plasma components through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In the control, between five and seven separable components can be detected, in which the primary component was albumin, while in the case of tumorous patients, the peaks of immunoglobulins were dominant. Moreover, the shape of the plasma DSC curves changed with a shift in the higher temperature ranges; thus, their pattern can be used as a suitable marker of direct immunological responses. The further development of the analysis of DSC curves raises the possibility of the early diagnosis of a potential tumor, the monitoring of diseases, or testing the efficacy of the therapy from a single drop of blood.

Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor (PNET) Presenting as a Pseudocyst: A Case Report.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) account for a very small proportion of all pancreatic tumors. The presence or absence of a specific clinical manifestation associated with hormone oversecretion determines whether a PNET is functional or nonfunctional. Imaging expressions differ significantly, from the common to the extremely rare. Diffuse, uniform pancreatic enlargement, without abnormalities in contour or a central mass, is the most common radiological finding. We report the case of a 43-year-old male who presented with abdominal pain and early satiety over the course of two months and was found to have a non-functioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, with the pseudocyst being the initial diagnostic finding. In comparison to patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer, those with PNET have a much better prognosis and longer expected survival time. This case report highlights the importance of the diagnostic evaluation of PNET and timely intervention to prolong the survival of the patient.

Sarcomatoid variant of urothelial carcinoma of renal pelvis with direct invasion of the pancreas and descending colon.

Introduction: Sarcomatoid variant of urothelial carcinoma infiltrates the perimeter and occurs occasionally. However, there are only few case reports. Case presentation: A left renal tumor was incidentally detected in a 75-year-old woman and protruded outside the kidney, infiltrating the pancreatic tail and spleen. Tumor invasion was observed in the adjacent organs; therefore, the left kidney, pancreatic tail, spleen, and, descending colon were resected. Histopathological examination revealed a sarcomatoid variant of invasive urothelial carcinoma. She received two cycles of gemcitabine and carboplatin combination chemotherapy but succumbed to the disease after 5 months. Conclusion: Sarcomatoid variant of urothelial carcinoma is rare, with aggressive malignancy. The diagnosis was difficult and required surgery. This is the first case of a sarcomatoid variant of urothelial carcinoma with direct invasion into the pancreas and descending colon.

A pancreas tumor derived organoid study: from drug screen to precision medicine.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) one of the deadliest malignant tumor. Despite considerable progress in pancreatic cancer treatment in the past 10 years, PDAC mortality has shown no appreciable change, and systemic therapies for PDAC generally lack efficacy. Thus, developing biomarkers for treatment guidance is urgently required. This review focuses on pancreatic tumor organoids (PTOs), which can mimic the characteristics of the original tumor in vitro. As a powerful tool with several applications, PTOs represent a new strategy for targeted therapy in pancreatic cancer and contribute to the advancement of the field of personalized medicine.

Carcinoma pseudopapilar sólido del páncreas / Solid pseudo-papillary carcinoma of the pancreas

El tumor sólido pseudopapilar del páncreas, conocido también como tumor de Frantz, es una enfermedad rara: neoplasia bien delimitada, de lento crecimiento, no agresiva pero maligna, habitualmente con pronóstico favorable. El tratamiento de elección es quirúrgico. Aunque algunos de ellos son agresivos a nivel local, la mayoría de los pacientes se curan con la resección completa del tumor. Se reportó el caso de una mujer de 30 años, ingresada en el Servicio de Cirugía General del Hospital Universitario Clínico Quirúrgico Comandante Faustino Pérez Hernández, con diagnóstico presuntivo clínico e imagenológico, de tumor pseudopapilar sólido del páncreas, con confirmación histológica tras la resección quirúrgica. Este infrecuente tumor debe ser considerado en el diagnóstico diferencial de los tumores pancreáticos, fundamentalmente en mujeres jóvenes(AU)

The solid pseudo-papillary carcinoma, also known as Frantz´s tumor, is a rare disease. It is a well-defined neoplasia, of low growth, non-aggressive but malignant, usually with a favorable prognosis. The elective treatment is the surgery. Although some of them are locally aggressive, most patients are healed with the complete tumor resection. The authors reported the case of a woman, aged 30 years who entered the Service of General Surgery of the University Hospital Comandante Faustino Pérez Hernández, with a presumptive clinical and imaging diagnosis of pancreas solid pseudo-papillary tumor, histologically confirmed after surgical resection. This infrequent tumor should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic tumors, mainly in young women(AU)

Surgery of pancreas tumors in pediatric and adolescent patients: a single institution experience in South America.

PURPOSE: Pancreas tumors are extremely rare in pediatric and adolescent patients. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment; however, the data are limited with respect to morbidity and mortality. We aimed to evaluate short- and long-term outcomes of pediatric and adolescent patients who underwent surgical resection of pancreatic tumors. METHODS: Patients [Formula: see text] 18-year-olds who underwent resection of pancreas tumor at the National Institute of Neoplastic Diseases INEN during 2000-2020 were included. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were diagnosed; 28 patients were female and 6 were male. The median age was 13.4-years-old. Histological diagnosis was solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) (n = 29, 85.3%), pancreatoblastoma (n = 3), neuroendocrine carcinoma (n = 1), and insulinoma (n = 1). No patient experienced postoperative mortality and 15 (44.1%) patients developed postoperative complications including pancreatic fistula as the most frequent. Under a median follow-up period of 33.8 (0.5-138) months, four (11.8%) patients died. Of the 29 patients with SPN, the 3- and-5-year OS rates were 100% and 83.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SPN was the most frequent cause of surgical treatment for pediatric and adolescent patients in the high-volume cancer center in Peru and was associated with favorable survival. Pancreaticoduodenectomy was safely performed in this patient group with acceptable morbidity and zero mortality.

Analgesia multidimensional para los pacientes en estadio terminal por cáncer de páncreas / Multidimensional analgesia for terminal stage patients with pancreatic cancer

RESUMEN Introducción: el cáncer es la segunda causa de muerte en el mundo; los tumores del sistema digestivo ocupan el segundo lugar y según localización los de páncreas poseen la menor tasa de supervivencia. Objetivo: evaluar la efectividad de la analgesia multidimensional para los pacientes en estadio terminal por cáncer de páncreas. Métodos: se realizó un estudio cuasiexperimental, comparativo, prospectivo y longitudinal en pacientes con dolor por tumor de páncreas en etapa final de su enfermedad, en el Hospital Abel Santamaria Cuadrado desde noviembre 2016 a julio 2019. Se incluyeron todos los pacientes con dolor por tumor de páncreas en estadio terminal, se conformaron tres grupos de acuerdo con el método de analgesia empleado; Grupo I (n=10) analgesia multimodal, Grupo II (n=10) analgesia multidimensional y Grupo III (n=3) esquema de analgesia de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, se evaluó calidad de la analgesia, la necesidad de dosis de rescate y uso de morfina, se compararon los métodos y se determinó la supervivencia. Resultados: la calidad de la analgesia fue mayor en los pacientes del grupo II, en igual grupo no fue necesario el uso de morfina hasta el 7mo mes y en solo dos pacientes, (p=0,00) no hubo diferencias en las tasas de supervivencia. Conclusiones: el enfoque multidimensional de la analgesia, donde se incluya al individuo como ser biopsicosocial y a la familia, logra mayor calidad de la analgesia. El método empleado para el alivio del dolor no influye en la supervivencia.

ABSTRACT Introduction: cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world; the tumors of the digestive system occupy the second place and according to itslocation, those in the pancreas have the lowest survival rate. Objective: to assess the effectiveness of multidimensional analgesia for patients in terminal stage due to pancreatic cancer. Methods: a quasi-experimental, comparative, prospective and longitudinal study was conducted in patients with pain due to pancreatic tumor in terminal stage at Abel Santamaria Cuadrado General Teaching Hospital from November 2016 to July 2019; all patients with pain due topancreatictumor were included. In the terminal stage of pancreatic cancer, three (3) groups were completed according to the analgesia method applied; Group I (n = 10) multimodal analgesia, Group II (n = 10) multidimensional analgesia and Group III (n = 3) following WHO analgesia scheme, analgesia quality, and the need for rescue dose and application of morphine, the methods were compared and survival rate was determined. Results: the quality of analgesia was higher in patients from group II, in the same group the application of morphine was not required until the 7th month and in only two patients (p = 0.00), there were no differences in the rates of survival. Conclusions: the multidimensional approach to analgesia, where the individual is included as a biopsychosocial being and the family achieves greater quality of analgesia, the method applied for pain relief does not influence on survival.

Neurolisis del plexo celiaco en cáncer de páncreas / Neurolysis of the celiac plexus in pancreas cancer

Introducción: El cáncer en Cuba constituye la primera causa de mortalidad en edades de 15 a 64 años y la segunda en mayores de 65, los tumores digestivos ocupan la tercera posición en las neoplasias malignas y la afección pancreática el cuarto lugar dentro de estas. Objetivo: Presentar la evolución de un paciente con un tumor de páncreas y una supervivencia de más de 6 meses al cual se le realizó neurolisis del plexo celiaco. Presentación del caso: Paciente masculino de 64 años de edad con el diagnóstico de adenocarcinoma de cuerpo y cola de páncreas sin criterio quirúrgico con dolor de severa intensidad que imposibilita el inicio del tratamiento adyuvante para lo cual se le realizó neurolisis del plexo celiaco bilateral, con 7 mL de fenol al 10 por ciento por cada lado, vía posterior retrocrural bajo seguimiento con intensificador de imágenes, y se administró tratamiento coadyuvante vía oral a base de antidepresivos tricíclicos, analgésicos y ansiolíticos debido al componente mixto del dolor oncológico. Conclusiones: El bloqueo neurolitico del plexo celiaco asociado a terapia farmacológica analgésica convencional por vía oral proporcionó un alivio total del dolor por neoplasia de páncreas de forma inmediata y duradera, se logró mejorar el estado general del paciente lo cual facilitó el inicio de la terapia adyuvante oncológica(AU)

Introduction: In Cuba, cancer is the leading cause of death at ages 15-64 and the second at ages over 65, digestive tumors occupy the third position among malignancies and pancreatic affection the fourth place among these. Objective: To present the evolution of a patient with a pancreatic tumor and survival of more than 6 months who underwent neurolysis of the celiac plexus. Case presentation: A 64-year-old male patient diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the body and tail of the pancreas without surgical criteria, with pain of severe intensity that made it impossible to start adjuvant treatment, for which he underwent neurolysis of the bilateral celiac plexus, with 7 mL of phenol-10 percent per side, through the retrocrural posterior space with follow-up with image intensifier, and oral adjuvant treatment was administered with tricyclic, analgesic and anxiolytic antidepressants due to the mixed component of oncological pain. Conclusions: The neurolytic block of the celiac plexus associated with conventional oral analgesic pharmacological therapy provided total relief of pain from pancreatic cancer in an immediate and lasting way. It was possible to improve the general state of the patient, which facilitates the start of adjuvant oncology therapy(AU)

Variant hepatic arterial anatomy encountered during pancreatoduodenectomy does not influence postoperative outcomes or resection margin status: A matched pair analysis of 105 patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Anatomic vascular abnormalities of the hepatic arteries are frequent. The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of hepatic arterial variations on postoperative morbidity and resection margin status after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD). MATERIALS/METHODS: Patients who underwent PD over a 7-year period (2010-2017) were included in the study. Patients with variant hepatic arterial anatomy were matched 1:2 for age, sex, ASA score, and histology. RESULTS: A total of 232 patients underwent PD. Variant hepatic arterial anatomy was found in 35 (15.1% of the total patient population). The most common variation was an accessory right hepatic artery (8.19%) and a replaced right hepatic artery (5.60%) arising from the superior mesenteric artery. These 35 patients were compared with 70 patients with no hepatic artery variations. Postoperative surgical complications occurred in 12.1% and 26.5% (P = 0.08) and in-hospital mortality was 6% and 5.4% ( P = 0.99) between patients with and without variant hepatic arteries. There was no difference in positive resection margins (R1) (18.2% vs 20.5%, P = 0.99) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: An aberrant hepatic artery does not increase morbidity or R1 resection in patients undergoing PD.

Estimation of optical properties of neuroendocrine pancreas tumor with double-integrating-sphere system and inverse Monte Carlo model.

The investigation of laser-tissue interaction is crucial for diagnostics and therapeutics. In particular, the estimation of tissue optical properties allows developing predictive models for defining organ-specific treatment planning tool. With regard to laser ablation (LA), optical properties are among the main responsible for the therapy efficacy, as they globally affect the heating process of the tissue, due to its capability to absorb and scatter laser energy. The recent introduction of LA for pancreatic tumor treatment in clinical studies has fostered the need to assess the laser-pancreas interaction and hence to find its optical properties in the wavelength of interest. This work aims at estimating optical properties (i.e., absorption, µ a , scattering, µ s , anisotropy, g, coefficients) of neuroendocrine pancreas tumor at 1064 nm. Experiments were performed using two popular sample storage methods; the optical properties of frozen and paraffin-embedded neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas are estimated by employing a double-integrating-sphere system and inverse Monte Carlo algorithm. Results show that paraffin-embedded tissue is characterized by absorption and scattering coefficients significantly higher than frozen samples (µ a of 56 cm(-1) vs 0.9 cm(-1), µ s of 539 cm(-1) vs 130 cm(-1), respectively). Simulations show that such different optical features strongly influence the pancreas temperature distribution during LA. This result may affect the prediction of therapeutic outcome. Therefore, the choice of the appropriate preparation technique of samples for optical property estimation is crucial for the performances of the mathematical models which predict LA thermal outcome on the tissue and lead the selection of optimal LA settings.

Evaluation of 99mTc-HYNIC-βAla-Bombesin(7-14) as an agent for pancreas tumor detection in mice

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is important in oncology because of its high mortality rate. Deaths may be avoided if an early diagnosis could be achieved. Several types of tumors overexpress gastrin-releasing peptide receptors (GRPr), including pancreatic cancer cells. Thus, a radiolabeled peptide derivative of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) may be useful as a specific imaging probe. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of using99mTc-HYNIC-βAla-Bombesin(7-14)as an imaging probe for Capan-1 pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Xenographic pancreatic tumor was developed in nude mice and characterized by histopathological analysis. Biodistribution studies and scintigraphic images were carried out in tumor-bearing nude mice. The two methods showed higher uptake by pancreatic tumor when compared to muscle (used as control), and the tumor-to-muscle ratio indicated that99mTc-HYNIC-βAla-Bombesin(7-14)uptake was four-fold higher in tumor cells than in other tissues. Scintigraphic images also showed a clear signal at the tumor site. The present data indicate that99mTc-HYNIC-βAla-Bombesin(7-14)may be useful for the detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Utility of intraoperative cytology of resection margins in biliary tract and pancreas tumors.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative diagnosis of resection margins in the biliary tract and pancreas tumors is important in deciding extent of resection; however, diagnosis based solely on frozen sections is sometimes difficult. Therefore, we investigated the usefulness of intraoperative cytology (IC) combined with frozen section (FS) histology. We present the results with a discussion of the value of this combination and its associated problems. METHODS: We examined 80 bile duct resection margin specimens from 42 patients, and 34 pancreatic resection margin specimens from 29 patients, who underwent intraoperative diagnosis of resection margins during surgery for biliary tract or pancreatic tumors between October 2012 and January 2014. IC was performed on imprint specimens prepared from surfaces of margins being examined. The results were compared with FS and final histology of operative materials. RESULTS: In IC, excluding cases with insufficient material, the results for bile duct margins; sensitivity was 96.7%, specificity 100% and accuracy 98.7%. The results for pancreatic margins; sensitivity was 100%, specificity 92.9%, and accuracy 93.3%. In FS, the results for bile duct margins; sensitivity was 96.8%, specificity 100%, and accuracy 98.8%. The results for pancreatic margins; sensitivity was 66.7%, specificity 100%, and accuracy 97.1%. CONCLUSION: IC is quick, highly accurate and very easy to perform. This study even included a specimen for which only IC led to an accurate diagnosis. IC used in combination with FS can achieve intraoperative diagnosis with high overall accuracy.

Laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with and without splenic vessel preservation: the role of the Warshaw procedure.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (LSPDP) for low-grade malignant pancreas tumors was recently demonstrated. Although the procedure with splenic vessel preservation (SVP) is optimal for LSPDP, SVP is not always possible in patients with a large tumor or a tumor attached to splenic vessels. This study aimed to analyze the safety of two procedures: LSPDP without SVP, known as the Warshaw technique (lap-WT), and LSPDP with SVP (lap-SVP). METHODS: Seventeen patients who underwent a lap-WT and seven patients who underwent a lap-SVP were investigated retrospectively. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 45 (range 17-105) months. In the lap-WT and lap-SVP patients, the sizes of the tumors were 5 (1.3-12) and 1.5 (1-4) cm; the operative times were 304 (168-512) and 319 (238-387) min; the blood loss was 210 (5-3250) and 60 (9-210) gr; the length of the postoperative hospital stay was 15 (8-29) and 18 (5-24) days; the peak platelet counts were 37.2 (14.6-65.2) and 26.4 (18.8-41) × 10(4)/µL, and splenomegaly was observed in 10 (59%) and three (43%) patients, respectively. In both procedures, there was no local recurrence. In the lap-WT group, splenic infarctions were seen in four (24%) patients and perigastric varices were seen in two (12%) patients. All of these patients were observed conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: Both the lap-WT and lap-SVP were found to be safe and effective, and in cases in which the tumor is relatively large or close to the splenic vessels, lap-WT can be used as the more appropriate procedure.

Insulinoma: A rare cause of hypoglycemia in a young female.

Insulinoma is an exceedingly uncommon pancreatic islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. The estimated incidence is approximately four cases per million individuals per year and accounts for 60% of islets cell tumors. It causes glycopenic symptoms which includes headache, feeling irritable, confused, seizure or coma and leads to catecholamine excess which includes rapid heartbeat, sweating, palpitations and feelings of hunger. Early detection of the tumor prevents recurrent episodes of lethal hypoglycemia.