A case of watery diarrhea, hypokalemia and hypercalcemia associated with nonulcerogenic islet cell tumor of the pancreas

Abstract

A case of watery diarrhea, hypokalemia and hypercalcemia associated with an islet cell tumor was described. A 62-year old man exhibited frequent watery diarrhea and hypokalemia for two years. He had no peptic ulcer and serum gastrin level was normal. His serum calcium was abnormally high and serum phosphate was lowered. He had secretin-like activity in his plasma. Autopsy revealed a small islet cell tumor in the pancreas and several metastatic masses in the liver. Microscopic examination revealed the tumor cell was not beta, alpha nor D cells. By electron microscopy the secretion granules of the tumor cell resembled those of S, M and T cells. It was not possible to decide which of the tree cell types was responsible for the pancreatic cholera.