Current Trends in Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis of Canine Insulinoma

Abstract

The most common pancreatic tumour in dogs is the insulinoma. Canine insulinomas are considered to be malignant in more than 95% of the cases because they almost always tend to metastasise. The diagnosis of an insulinoma requires the demonstration of the simultaneous occurrence of hypoglycaemia and blood insulin levels that are within or above the high end of the reference interval. The staging of canine insulinomas is preferably conducted by contrast-enhanced computed tomography. In general, surgical treatment is the most effective because of it results in long survival times, but many dogs also require medical treatment at some point. The prognosis of canine insulinomas is guarded as clinical hypoglycaemia almost always returns due to metastasis or tumour regrowth. This review aims to provide a summary and update the current recommendations in the veterinary literature for the diagnosis, treatment and prognostication of canine insulinomas.