Pancreatoduodenectomy for Islet-Cell Tumor of the Pancreas in Infancy and Childhood

Abstract

EIGHTEEN CASES of carcinoma of the pancreas in infants and children have been reported.^1-4All those not treated by radical excision of the tumor have died. The importance of aggressive surgical treatment in children with this neoplasm is emphasized by the long survival of three of four previously reported patients who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy.^1,2,4 This report reviews the history of an 8-year-old boy who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy for an islet-cell tumor of the pancreas five years ago. The rare occurrence of this tumor in the pediatric age group together with the five-year survival seem worthy of mention. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> The patient is a white boy who was delivered spontaneously on July 4, 1958, after a normal full-term pregnancy. He weighed 7 lb 8 oz (3.4 kg) at birth and no abnormalities were found. Growth and development during infancy were normal. At the age of 2 1/2 years the