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VIPoma

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

Vasoactive intestinal peptide-producing tumor; Pancreatic endocrine tumor

Treatment:

The first goal of treatment is to correct dehydration. Intravenous (IV) fluids are often required to replace fluids lost in diarrhea.

The next goal is to slow the diarrhea. Some medications can help control the diarrhea, such as octreotide, which is a hormone.

The best chance for cure is surgery to remove the tumor. If the tumor has not metastasized (spread to other organs), surgery can often cure it.

Expectations (prognosis):

Surgery can usually cure VIPomas, but about one-third to one-half of patients will have tumors that have spread by the time of diagnosis and are thus incurable.

Complications:

• Metastasis
• Dehydration
• Cardiac arrest from electrolyte imbalances

Calling your health care provider:

If you have watery diarrhea for more than 2-3 days, you should call your doctor.

• Review Date: 9/11/2006
• Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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