The pancreas tumors are in general hormones producers, and they receive the name of the hormone that they synthesize in abundance: insulinoma if it is an insulin, glucagonoma, and gastrinoma. There exists also the possibility that they secrete other types of hormones that are not usually produced by the pancreas, but there are truly exceptional cases.

The most common initial effect of the pancreatic tumors, since they produce hormones of an abundant way, is that of an excess of hormonal activity of some of these three lineages that we have indicated. This way, what we find is an exaggerated functioning of some of his effects:

• insulin: normally it introduces the glucose from the blood inwards of the cell. When there is an insulin excess, the first effect is a number of glycemia much underneath of the normal thing; this is named a hypoglycemia. The effects of a hypoglycemia are the same that those that a diabetic experiences if excessive insulin is injected, and although individuals change between normally they range between a light sickness, a picture confusional, a loss of knowledge, a comma deep and the death, if the numbers of glucose do not normalize. All the symptoms initially are light, and they improve when glucose is consumed; the worst moments are in case of long fastings, or after doing exercise. With the months, the clinic is deteriorating and the symptoms take place more continuously, and more intensely.
• glucagón: it has an effect opposite to the insulin.
• gastrina: it favors the gastric acidic secretion; the producing gastrina tumors are highly producing of gastrointestinal ulcers for this motive. These would be included in this case in the so called "syndrome of Zollinger-Ellison".

The cases with major possibilities of survival at the age of 5 are those of the tumor confined in the pancreas; it is considered that they it are when the tumor has less than 2 cm, there is no extension (metástasis) to the lymphatic ganglions it does not even exceed the pancreatic capsule. In these cases, after operating to eliminate completely the tumor, it is anticipated that at the age of 5 they survive between 18 and 24 % of the patients.

Nevertheless, the surgery yes can be used by palliative ends with the object of improving the quality of life of the patient, like the obstructions of the biliary conduits, or of the digestive tract.