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Glucagonoma laboratory tests

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Parminder Dhingra, M.D. [2], Mohammed Abdelwahed M.D[3]

Overview

Overview

Laboratory findings consistent with the diagnosis of glucagonoma include a serum glucagon concentration of 1000 pg/ml or greater.

Laboratory Findings

Laboratory Findings

The laboratory findings associated with glucagonoma are:[1][2][1][3][4]

Serum glucagon

  • Increased plasma glucagon levels >500 pg/mL (Normal glucagon level is less than 50 pg/mL).
  • Concentrations above 1000 pg/mL are diagnostic of glucagonoma.
  • Some conditions can increase glucagon level to a level less than 500 pg/mL such as fasting and hypoglycemia.
  • Some symptomatic glucagonomas are associated with normal glucagon serum level. So, a serum glucagon concentration below 500 pg/mL does not exclude a glucagonoma.[4]

Other laboratory findings

References

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Zhang M, Xu X, Shen Y, Hu ZH, Wu LM, Zheng SS (2004). “Clinical experience in diagnosis and treatment of glucagonoma syndrome”. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 3 (3): 473–5. PMID 15313692.
  2. Glucagonoma. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucagonoma. Accessed on October 15,2015
  3. Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named pmid8606627
  4. 4.0 4.1 Kindmark H, Sundin A, Granberg D, Dunder K, Skogseid B, Janson ET; et al. (2007). “Endocrine [[pancreatic tumors]] with [[glucagon]] hypersecretion: a retrospective study of 23 cases during 20 years”. Med Oncol. 24 (3): 330–7. PMID 17873310. URL–wikilink conflict (help)

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