# Giant Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of Molecular Pathogenesis and Emerging Therapies

**Authors:** Rio Akiyama, Yujo Kawashita, Miku Ochiai, Masaki Tateishi, Takashi Ueda, Masayuki Nakamura, Koya Umeda, Seiko Harada, Sosei Abe, Masashi Haraguchi, Junzo Yamaguchi, Yasuo Washida, Yoichi Hachitanda

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.103628 · Cureus · 2026-02-14

## TL;DR

A rare case of a large pancreatic tumor was successfully treated, highlighting its unique biology and potential treatment strategies.

## Contribution

Demonstrates successful resection of a giant ACC and compares its molecular profile with PDAC.

## Key findings

- ACC showed Bcl-10 positivity and nuclear beta-catenin, indicating Wnt pathway activation.
- Systematic comparison of ACC and PDAC reveals distinct biological behaviors.
- Successful surgical resection was possible due to ACC's unique growth characteristics.

## Abstract

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) is a rare pancreatic malignancy with molecular and clinical features distinct from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We report a 58-year-old man with a 15-cm ACC of the pancreatic body and tail treated by distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy. Complete resection was achieved despite tumor size and surface fissuring suggestive of impending rupture. Operative time was 282 minutes with blood loss of 280 mL. Histopathology showed acinar architecture with B-cell lymphoma 10 (Bcl-10) positivity and nuclear beta-catenin accumulation, consistent with Wnt pathway activation. To clarify the biological differences between ACC and PDAC, we compared their molecular and clinicopathological features. Our analysis demonstrates that ACC's unique molecular profile and growth characteristics enabled successful surgical resection in this giant tumor. This case illustrates how systematic comparison of ACC with PDAC provides insights into the distinct biological behaviors of these pancreatic malignancies. We review current therapeutic advances in PDAC, including targeted therapies and immunotherapy approaches, which may inform future treatment strategies for ACC.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** BCL10 (BCL10 immune signaling adaptor) [NCBI Gene 8915]
- **Proteins:** arm (armadillo)
- **Diseases:** pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (MONDO:0006346), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (MONDO:0005184)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** BCL10 (BCL10 immune signaling adaptor) [NCBI Gene 8915] {aka CARMEN, CIPER, CLAP, IMD37, c-E10, mE10}, CTNNB1 (catenin beta 1) [NCBI Gene 1499] {aka CTNNB, EVR7, MRD19, NEDSDV, armadillo}
- **Diseases:** PDAC (MESH:D021441), Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma (MESH:D010190), ACC (MESH:D018267), tumor (MESH:D009369), blood loss (MESH:D016063)

## Full text

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## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12994095/full.md

## References

20 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12994095/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12994095