Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with seizures and low blood sugar treated for insulinoma tumor
By Greene, S N & Bright, R M·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2008·VCA Veterinary Specialists of Northern Colorado, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Insulinoma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 14-year-old domestic shorthair cat was brought to the vet after experiencing low blood sugar and seizures for several weeks. Blood tests confirmed the low blood sugar, and the vet suspected an insulinoma, a type of tumor in the pancreas. After trying medical and dietary treatments with little success, the vet performed surgery to remove a tumor from the pancreas. The tumor was found to be cancerous, but after surgery, the cat had a brief episode of pancreatitis, which was treated successfully. Remarkably, the cat has shown no signs of the cancer returning for over 32 months.
People also search for: cat seizures low blood sugar · insulinoma treatment in cats · cat pancreas tumor surgery
Abstract
A 14-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented with hypoglycaemia and seizures of several weeks duration. Bloodwork revealed hypoglycaemia (1.83 mmol/l; reference range 4.22-8.05 mmol/l) with concurrent normal insulin levels (171 pmol/l; reference range 72-583 pmol/l). An insulinoma was suspected and medical and dietary management were attempted with minimal success. An exploratory laparotomy was performed and a single, well-defined mass was found within the left lobe of the pancreas. The mass was removed and histologically classified as an islet cell carcinoma, consistent with an insulinoma. The cat had an episode of presumed postoperative pancreatitits, but recovered with appropriate treatment. The cat has had no clinical signs of recurrence of greater than 32 months postsurgery. There are only four cases of insulinoma in cats reported in the literature. All prior insulionomas reported were in older cats and were malignant in character, which is similar to the reports in the dog. This case is unique because of the apparent lack of local recurrence and development of metastatic disease, leading to the prolonged survival.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17784934/