Survival for gastrinoma

Gastrinoma is a type of neuroendocrine tumour (NET) that starts in the neuroendocrine cells of the pancreas or the small bowel (duodenum). 

Survival for gastrinomas depends on many factors. So no one can tell you exactly how long you will live. 

Doctors usually work out the outlook for a certain disease by looking at large groups of people. Because gastrinomas are rare tumours, the survival for this disease is harder to estimate than for other, more common cancers.  

These are general statistics based on small groups of people. Remember, they can’t tell you what will happen in your individual case. Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis). 

You can also talk about this with the Cancer Research UK nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040, from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

What affects survival

Survival depends on many factors. It depends on the stage and grade of the gastrinoma when it was diagnosed. The stage describes the size of the tumour and whether it has spread. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under a microscope.

Another factor is how well you are overall. 

Survival for gastrinomas

There are no UK survival statistics for people with gastrinoma. The statistics below are from a Dutch study. Please be aware that due to differences in health care systems, data collection and the population, these figures may not be a true picture of survival in the UK. 

  • Almost 85 out of 100 people (almost 85%) survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis
  • 65 out of 100 people (65%) survive for 10 years or more after diagnosis

About these statistics

The terms 1 year, 5 year and 10 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1, 5 or 10 years.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 or 10 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.

5 or 10 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 or 10 years after diagnosis.

What next?

You might want to read our information about treatment for gastrinomas. 

  • Gastrinoma (Duodenal and Pancreatic)
    R Jensen and others
    Neuroendocrinology, 2006. Vol 84, Pages 173-182

  • ENETS consensus guidelines for the management of patients with digestive neuroendocrine neoplasms: functional pancreatic endocrine tumor syndromes
    R Jensen and others
    Neuroendocrinology, 2012. Vol 95, Pages 98-119

  • Prognostic factors and survival in MEN1 patients with gastrinomas: Results from the DutchMEN study group (DMSG)
    D J Van Beek and others
    Journal of Surgical Oncology, 2019 November, Volume 120, Issue 6, pages 966 - 975

  • Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs): incidence, prognosis and recent trend toward improved survival
    T Halfdanarson and others
    Annals of Oncology, 2008. Vol 19, Pages 1727-1733

  • Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology (10th edition)
    VT DeVita, TS Lawrence, SA Rosenberg 
    Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2015

Last reviewed: 
22 Jun 2022
Next review due: 
22 Jun 2025

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