Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma

Abstract

Acinar cell carcinomas (ACCs) are rare neoplasms that represent less than 2% of all exocrine tumors of the pancreas. Although they occur more often in adults between the 5th and 7th decades of life, a few cases have been reported in children. Histologically, ACCs can resemble islet cell tumors, but they differ in their ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features. Although ACCs present a bland histology, they are highly malignant and the survival of patients with these tumors, even though better than that of those with ductal cell carcinomas, is generally poor.