EJMCR |

Case Report

Volume: 5 | Issue: 4 | Published: Mar 30, 2021 | Pages: 117 - 121 | DOI: 10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831

Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report

Authors: Elena Parlagreco , Irene Persano , Anna La Salvia , Anna Pia , Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti , Maria Pia Brizzi

Article Info

Authors

Elena Parlagreco

Department of Oncology, University Hospital San Luigi Gonzaga, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy

Irene Persano

Department of Oncology, University Hospital San Luigi Gonzaga, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy

ORCID

Anna La Salvia

Department of Oncology, University Hospital 12 de Octubre, UCM, Madrid, Spain

Anna Pia

Department of Biological and Clinical Sciences, Internal Medicine, University Hospital San Luigi Gonzaga, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy

Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti

Department of Oncology, University Hospital San Luigi Gonzaga, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy

Maria Pia Brizzi

Department of Oncology, University Hospital San Luigi Gonzaga, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy.

Publication History

Received: November 26, 2020

Revised: March 12, 2021

Accepted: March 18, 2021

Published: March 30, 2021

Abstract

Background: Glucagonoma is a rare functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Necrolytic migratory erythema (NME) is a paraneoplastic manifestation of glucagonoma and is often the first presenting symptom. The misdiagnosis of this rare entity can affect the patients quality of life and his life expectancy. Case Presentation: We report a case of a 48-year-old man presenting with pruritic scaly rash, ulcerated skin lesions, and periorbital edema, who was diagnosed and treated for atopic eczema for a 7-year period. Despite treatment, his dermatitis and general conditions progressively worsened, until he was admitted to the emergency department due to weight loss and fatigue. An uncontrolled diabetes was found and the computer tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a tumor located in the tail of the pancreas with liver metastases. Subsequently, liver biopsy and high levels of glucagon confirmed the diagnosis of glucagonoma. The patient was treated with short-acting subcutaneous octreotide for 2 weeks and then with intramuscular slowrelease octreotide every 28 days, with a significant improvement of the symptoms. Conclusion: This case provides further knowledge about NME, since a timely recognition and treatment of this misleading disease can prevent morbidity from the dermatitis and mortality from the malignancy itself.

Keywords: Glucagonoma, neuroendocrine tumors, glucagonoma syndrome, necrolytic migratory erythema (NME), quality of life, dupilumab, somatostatin analogs (SSA), green

Pubmed Style

Elena Parlagreco, Irene Persano, Anna La Salvia, Anna Pia, Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, Maria Pia Brizzi. Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report. EJMCR. 2021; 30 (March 2021): 117-121. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831

Web Style

Elena Parlagreco, Irene Persano, Anna La Salvia, Anna Pia, Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, Maria Pia Brizzi. Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report. https://ejmcr.com/articles/1324 [Access: December 03, 2024]. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Elena Parlagreco, Irene Persano, Anna La Salvia, Anna Pia, Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, Maria Pia Brizzi. Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report. EJMCR. (2021), [cited December 03, 2024]; 30 (March 2021): 117-121. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831

Harvard Style

Elena Parlagreco, Irene Persano, Anna La Salvia, Anna Pia, Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, Maria Pia Brizzi (2021) Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report. EJMCR, 30 (March 2021): 117-121. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831

Chicago Style

Elena Parlagreco, Irene Persano, Anna La Salvia, Anna Pia, Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, Maria Pia Brizzi. "Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report." 30 (2021), 117-121. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Elena Parlagreco, Irene Persano, Anna La Salvia, Anna Pia, Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, Maria Pia Brizzi. "Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report." 30.March 2021 (2021), 117-121. Print. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Elena Parlagreco, Irene Persano, Anna La Salvia, Anna Pia, Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, Maria Pia Brizzi (2021) Glucagonoma: how the misdiagnosis of a paraneoplastic cutaneous manifestation affects the clinical outcome: a case report. , 30 (March 2021), 117-121. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1606402831