While most people are familiar with diabetes—a condition where the body doesn’t make enough insulin—there’s a much rarer condition where the body produces too much insulin.
This is usually caused by a small tumor in the pancreas called an insulinoma.
Although insulinomas are typically not cancerous, they can lead to dangerously low blood sugar levels, causing symptoms like confusion, fainting, seizures, and even death if untreated.
The best way to treat insulinomas is through surgery, but before surgery can happen, doctors need to find the exact location of the tumor.
Unfortunately, many current tests are either invasive, uncomfortable, or not very accurate, which can delay diagnosis and treatment.
Now, researchers from Kyoto University in Japan have developed a new, noninvasive method that could completely change how insulinomas are diagnosed.
Led by Dr. Takaaki Murakami, the research team created a special imaging probe for use in a PET (positron emission tomography) scan.
This probe is designed to attach to a specific type of receptor found in large numbers on insulinoma cells—called GLP-1 receptors.
The team tested their new method in a small clinical trial involving 12 people who had severe low blood sugar and were suspected of having insulinomas.
The results were remarkable: the PET scan with the new probe identified all 12 tumors correctly.
The accuracy was far better than that of traditional imaging tools like CT scans, MRIs, endoscopic ultrasound, or even specialized blood tests.
Once the tumors were found and surgically removed, all of the patients recovered from their symptoms and no longer experienced dangerous blood sugar drops. This confirmed that the tumors had indeed been the cause of their illness—and that the new scan had successfully found them.
This discovery is not just promising for people with insulinomas. It could also help doctors better understand and diagnose other rare conditions involving abnormal insulin production, such as nesidioblastosis, or certain types of diabetes where insulin levels fluctuate in unusual ways.
Dr. Murakami and his team hope this technique will one day be used in hospitals around the world. Their goal is to make insulinoma diagnosis faster, safer, and more accurate, improving quality of life and saving lives in the process.
Source: KSR.
