Objective: To summarize the clinical aspects of nonfunctional islet-cell tumor (NIT) reported in Chinese periodicals.
Methods: Articles in Chinese on NIT were screened from the Chinese Bio-Medical Database (1981.1 - 1999.10). Data of epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, defferential diagnosis, and treatment of NIT were analyzed.
Results: 60 articles and 237 cases of NIT were selected. The female to male ratio was 2.9:1. Abdominal mass was the most common clinical symptom. It was difficult for the pre-operative diagnosis of NIT and differentiation from pancreatic tumor or retroperitoneal mass. The malignant rate of NIT was 35%. The five-year survival rate of malignant NIT was 53.1%.
Conclusion: NIT is rare. It occurs more often in female than in male. The preoperative diagnostic rate is rather low. The prognosis of malignant NIT is favorable. Active treatment is strongly recommended.