Huge pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma with high levels of AFP and fucosylated AFP (AFP-L3)

Intern Med. 2012;51(11):1341-9. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.51.6536. Epub 2012 Jun 1.

Abstract

A 25-year-old Japanese woman with a large abdominal tumor (10 cm in diameter) and high level of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP, 1,222.4 ng/mL) was introduced and admitted to our hospital in January 2011. Pre-operative imaging modalities could not identify the tumor origin. There was no chronic hepatic viral disease, however, the elevated level of fucosylated AFP (87.8%) and connection with the left hepatic lobe led us to diagnose the tumor as a hepatocellular carcinoma. Surgical resection was performed in February. Histological findings revealed a pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (ACC). Herein, we provide details of this difficulty to diagnose a case of ACC.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Carcinoma, Acinar Cell / blood*
  • Carcinoma, Acinar Cell / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnosis
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Fucose / chemistry
  • Glycosylation
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / blood*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • alpha-Fetoproteins / chemistry
  • alpha-Fetoproteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • AFP protein, human
  • alpha-Fetoproteins
  • Fucose