Clinics in diagnostic imaging (157). Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) of the pancreatic tail

ABSTRACT

A 50-year-old Chinese man presented to the clinic with left hypochondrial pain, more than 10 kg of weight loss over a 3-month period, and a firm, large, ill-defined mass in the left upper quadrant. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a well-circumscribed exophytic pancreatic mass with features suggestive of acinar cell carcinoma (ACC). The patient underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with no evidence of local recurrence detected at one-year follow-up. He remains under close surveillance by his oncologist. Treatment for ACC includes surgical resection with adjuvant radiotherapy. Better overall survival is seen in patients with surgically resectable ACC as compared to those with the more common ductal cell carcinoma.