Imaging and pathological characteristics of small acinar cell carcinomas of the pancreas: A report of 3 cases.

We present three patients with T2 acinar cell carcinomas (ACC) (two of which were small) and discuss their clinical and pathological features. Case 1: A 34 year-old woman had a 2.6 cm iso- or hyperdense tumor. Enucleation was performed but final diagnosis was ACC and a pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. Case 2: A 35 year-old woman was found to have a 4.5 cm hypervascular tumor in the tail of the pancreas. Distal pancreatectomy was performed. Case 3: A 61 year-old man suffered from acute pancreatitis and was found to have an encapsulated 2.5 cm hypervascular tumor in the head of pancreas. Pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. These three patients with T2 ACCs had common characteristics including well-demarcated exophytic tumors with slow and limited progress, distinctively different from large ACCs and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. ACCs are important in the differential diagnosis of homogeneously or heterogeneously enhancing small pancreatic tumors.