Estimation of glucose utilization in a type 2 diabetes mellitus patient on insulin analogs with tumor hypoglycemia induced by IGF-II.

We present a 38-year-old male patient with insulin requiring type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who had fasting hypoglycemia caused by a non-pancreatic-islet-cell mesenchymal tumor producing IGF-II. The evaluation was confounded in that there was pre-existing DM being treated with insulin analogs. Insulin levels were assessed with an immunoassay with cross reactivity with the insulin analogs. An 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) scan localized the 19.7×18.0×17.8cm retroperitoneal mass. A 3.25kg tumor was resected. Post-operatively insulin treatment was resumed and circulating IGF-II levels returned to normal. The maximum standardized uptake values of FDG (SUVmax) along with a steady state glucose infusion of 17.5g/h were used to determine the components of glucose utilization due to IGF-II induced muscle glucose uptake (utilization, 62%) whereas the tumor itself was responsible for approximately 22% of measurable glucose uptake. Whereas tumor induced hypoglycemia has been ascribed to preferential glucose utilization by the tumor, the predominant hypoglycemic effect was due to hormonal IGF-II induced total body glucose uptake.