Thread by @CasualSemi

I know any news about Ginsberg’s health instantly creates many self-taught diagnosticians, but I though I would throw in my two cents, given the information made publicly available. My guess is that they noticed high blood glucose, and suspected a Somatostatinoma.

The only information that has been made publicly available is that “routine blood tests” (likely a CBC and BMP, nothing fancy) hinted at a tumor, and that it requires the placing of a stent in her bile duct.

npr.org/2019/08/23/753…

The bile duct stent hints at the location of the tumor. The bile duct passes through the head and ampula of the pancreas, so a tumor in this location could potentially obstruct the duct and require stenting.

The fact that they suspected the tumor from “routine blood tests” hints that it is likely a pNET that would excrete a hormone to alter normal blood chemistry (like changing blood glucose levels) rather than a more deadly pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreati…

Somatostatinomas commonly arise in the head or ampulla of the pancreas, and can be noticed by elevated blood glucose on a routine BMP (because excessive secretion of Somatostatin reduces insulin release). So in my opinion, this was the likely diagnosis.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatosta…

An Insulinoma is a close second, but most are nonmalignant.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulinoma

It has been reported that the tumor was regarded as “malignant”.

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7…

The majority of Somatostatinomas have malignant potential, so this further supports my hypothesis.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatosta…

When caught early (like in this case, because the cancer was localized and without metastasis), Somatostatinomas have a very good prognosis (unlike the most common pancreatic cancers). Justice Ginsburg is likely to beat this.

dovemed.com/diseases-condi…

And this is a good thing. I want Ginsburg’s senate seat filled by a Constitutionalist, but it is better for her and America as a whole that she eventually retires rather than suffers a tragedy.

*”Supreme Court seat” not “senate seat”(autocorrect fails me too often)