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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Reprogramming Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma to Pluripotency
Published on: February 2, 2024
Alpha-fetoprotein-producing pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma
Yang-Chao Lin1, Po-Huang Lee, Yu-Tung Yao
1Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract:
A 47-year-old man with chronic hepatitis B had progressive elevated alpha-fetoprotein of 2 years' duration. A pancreatic tail tumor, instead of liver tumor, was detected. He underwent elective distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy and the pathology turned out to be acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas. Serum level of alpha-fetoprotein returned to normal soon after surgery. No cancer recurrence was noted after 3 years of follow-up. Alpha-fetoprotein is commonly used as a tumor marker to screen for hepatocellular carcinoma in high-risk patients. However, elevated alpha-fetoprotein could occur in a much rarer disease, acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas.
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