It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Steatorrhea, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Neuroendocrine Tumours.
Neuroendocrine tumours are cancers that begin in neuroendocrine cells, the cells of the body that produce hormones. There are many different subclasses of neuroendocrine tumours such as adrenal cancer, carcinoid tumours, Merkle cell carcinoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma. Symptoms include pain from the growing tumour, a growing lump, unusual fatigue, and unusual weight loss. If the tumour causes the cells to produce excessive amounts of hormones other symptoms may include skin flushing, diarrhea, frequent urination, increased thirst, dizziness, shakiness and skin rashes. As this cancer type is so rare and can occur anywhere in the body makes misdiagnosis very common and can mimic most diseases in the body. This results in 50% of patients having metastatic end stage disease by the time of correct diagnosis and treatment.