Diagnosis and treatment of VIPoma: A case report and literature review in China

摘要

Vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting tumors (VIPomas) are rare neuroen-docrine tumors with an incidence of approximately 1 per 1 million population.1 Among cases of VlPoma, 80% are located in the pancreas and only 20% are found outside, including in the intestines, esophagus, and sympathetic ganglia.2 These tumors can cause watery diarrhea, hypo-kalemia, and achlorhydria, which together are known as the WHDA syndrome or Verner-Morrison syndrome.3 Somatostatin relieves the symptoms caused by VIPoma, whereas surgical resection is the only way to cure the disease. Here, we present a case of VIPoma occurring in a patient for whom somatostatin was given to control the symptoms and finally a successful cure was achieved with surgical resection. We also reviewed 30 other cases of VIPoma reported in China and one additional case that we treated in our institution.