Staging
Staging is a process that describes the size and extent of the tumor. Doctors use the same staging system for islet cell tumors that they use for the more common exocrine tumors of the pancreas.
Stage Ia
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Description
- The tumor is entirely contained within the pancreas and no larger than 2 centimeters in diameter. No spread of the cancer to lymph nodes or other areas in the body.
Stage Ib
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Description
- The tumor is entirely contained within the pancreas, but has grown over 2 centimeters in diameter. No spread of the cancer to lymph nodes or other areas in the body.
Stage IIa
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Description
- The tumor has grown outside the pancreas, but has not entered any large blood vessels, lymph nodes, or other body parts.
Stage IIb
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Description
- The tumor has spread to the lymph nodes and may or may not have spread to nearby tissues.
Stage III
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Description
- Cancer in this stage is most often unresectable, which means it generally cannot be surgically removed. The tumor has spread to nearby major blood vessels or arteries, and may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes.
Stage IV
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Description
- The cancer has spread to distant organs or other parts of the body. This is known as metastatic pancreatic cancer. A common site of metastatic islet cell cancer spread is the liver.
Although the staging system is useful, doctors primarily consider the following factors to determine the best course of treatment:
- The age and general health of the patient
- Whether the tumor is associated with a genetic syndrome, such as MEN-1
- The size and anatomic extent of the tumor, and whether or not it has spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body
- Whether the tumor is recurrent or not
- Pathologic features such as tumor grade and differentiation, which can only be determined by a biopsy
