Frontiers in Endocrinology (Apr 2022)

Pasireotide for Refractory Hypoglycemia in Malignant Insulinoma- Case Report and Review of the Literature

  • Sandrine Oziel-Taieb,
  • Jemima Maniry-Quellier,
  • Brice Chanez,
  • Flora Poizat,
  • Jacques Ewald,
  • Patricia Niccoli

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.860614
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

Read online

Malignant insulinomas are functional neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas and the primary cause of tumor-related hypoglycemia. Malignant insulinoma is rare and has a poor prognosis. We report a case of metastatic malignant insulinoma in a 64-year-old female patient with severe and refractory hypoglycemia. After several ineffective locoregional and systemic therapeutic lines for the secretory disease, the introduction of pasireotide, a second-generation somatostatin analog, provided an improved clinical and secretory evolution both quickly and sustainably, with an excellent safety profile. Pasireotide is an effective and well-tolerated therapy in the treatment of refractory hypoglycemia in metastatic insulinoma.

Keywords