Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Tumors

There are often no signs of a VIPoma in its early stages. Often the cancer will make too much of some of the hormones, particularly vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which can cause symptoms such as:

• Watery diarrhea
• Dehydration
• Leg cramps or muscle weakness, which are caused by reduced levels of potassium in the blood (hypokalemia) that occur as a result of the diarrhea
• Flushing (reddening) and swelling of the skin of the face and neck
• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Bowel obstruction

‹ previous section | next section ›