Acinar cell carcinoma does not secrete CA19-9 so this biomarker is not usable to monitor chemotherapy effectiveness. Only pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and mucinous cysts that arise from ductal cells produce CA19-9. In patients whose CA19-9 falls in a range of -3 to +3U/mL, it is a sign they are non-secretors having both negative Lewis antigen alleles Le^a- and Le^b-. The error of margin in the test measurement is+/-3U/mL so when a value is in that range, it is essentially zero.

For those with acinar cell carcinoma, there is the FaceBook group Acinar Cell Carcinoma and a number of us participate in a couple of Zoom meetings of their support group hosted by the SeenaMagowitzFoundation.org. More on the support group schedule of meetings and how to register is on their web page.