Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Nov 8;18(1):1083.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-018-5008-z.

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma-case report and literature review

Affiliations
Review

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma-case report and literature review

Zhang Xing-Mao et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor that constitutes 1% of all pancreatic neoplasms. Pancreatic ACC has unique characteristics in terms of biological behavior, imaging and prognosis.

Case presentation: The present study reported two cases of pancreatic ACC confirmed by postoperative pathology and both cases exhibited several different imaging features and laboratory test results. Both cases had approximately 4 cm mass located in uncinate process of pancreas. Dilated intra- and extra-hepatic bile ducts was observed in one case, along with calcification. Heterogeneous enhancement of the tumor was exhibited in both patients with different intensities. Obstructive jaundice, elevated α-fetoprotein and CA 19-9 was found in one case, while the other case had normal liver function and tumor markers.

Conclusions: It was difficult to accurately diagnose pancreatic ACC before the operation despite its unique characteristics. Radical resection was the best treatment modality for resectable pancreatic ACC.

Keywords: Acinar cell carcinoma; Diagnosis; Pancreas; Prognosis; Treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital. Patients were not required to provide informed consent because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.

Consent for publication

Written informed consent was obtained from the patients for publication of these case reports and accompanying images.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a. A mass of approximately 4.0 cm diameter located in uncinate process of pancreas, the white arrow shows the calcification in the mass; b. The tumor was significantly enhanced in the arterial phase, which was similar to the surrounding pancreatic parenchyma; c. The black arrow shows that the intra- and extra-hepatic bile ducts were obviously dilated and the white arrow shows the slightly dilated pancreatic duct
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a. An irregular mass with well-defined tumor margin located in uncinate process of pancreas; b. No dilated intra- and extra-hepatic bile ducts or pancreatic duct was found; c. The white arrow shows the enhanced capsule of the tumor

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Jauch SF, Morris VK, Jensen CT, Kaseb AO. Multimodal approach and long-term survival in a patient with recurrent metastatic acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas: a case report. Pancreatology. 2016;16:153–156. doi: 10.1016/j.pan.2015.09.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kruger S, Haas M, Burger PJ, Ormanns S, Modest DP, Westphalen CB, et al. Acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas: a rare disease with different diagnostic and therapeutic implications than ductal adenocarcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2016;142:2585–2591. doi: 10.1007/s00432-016-2264-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang Y, Wang S, Zhou X, Zhou H, Cui Y, Li Q, et al. Acinar cell carcinoma: a report of 19 cases with a brief review of the literature. World J Surg Oncol. 2016;14:172. doi: 10.1186/s12957-016-0919-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nojima T, Kojima T, Kato H, Sato T, Koito K, Nagashima K. Alpha-fetoprotein-producing acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas. Hum Pathol. 1992;23:828–830. doi: 10.1016/0046-8177(92)90354-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Itoh T, Kishi K, Tojo M, Kitajima N, Kinoshita Y, Inatome T, et al. Acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas with elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels: a case report and a review of 28 cases reported in Japan. Gastroenterol Jpn. 1992;27:785–791. doi: 10.1007/BF02806533. - DOI - PubMed

Substances