The concept of oncocytoid renal cell carcinoma in patients who have survived neuroblastoma as a distinct biologic entity has been controversial since its original description in 1999. This is in part because similar oncocytoid renal cell carcinomas have been described in association with other pediatric cancers, and also because other renal cell carcinoma subtypes (such as MiT family translocation renal cell carcinoma) have been described in children who have survived neuroblastoma. We identified an index case of a child who survived medulloblastoma and developed multifocal bilateral oncocytoid renal cell carcinomas with morphology and immunophenotype compatible with eosinophilic solid and cystic renal cell carcinoma (ESC RCC) and demonstrated that both neoplasms harbored distinctive mutations in the TSC1/TSC2 genes. Remarkably, the child's remaining bilateral multifocal renal neoplasms completely responded to MTOR inhibitor therapy without need for further surgery. To confirm our hypothesis that oncocytoid renal cell carcinomas after childhood cancer represent ESC RCC, we obtained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 2 previously published cases of oncocytoid renal cell carcinoma after neuroblastoma, confirmed that the morphology and immunophenotype was consistent with ESC RCC, and demonstrated that both cases harbored somatic TSC gene mutations. Both expressed markers previously associated with neoplasms harboring TSC gene mutations, glycoprotein nonmetastatic B, and cathepsin K. Of note, one of these patients had 2 ESC RCC which harbored distinctive TSC2 mutations, while the background kidney of the other patient had multiple small cysts lined by similar oncocytoid cells which showed loss of TSC2 protein. We then reviewed 3 of 4 cases from the original 1999 report of oncocytoid renal cell carcinomas after neuroblastoma, found that all 3 demonstrated morphology (including basophilic cytoplasmic stippling) that is characteristic of ESC RCC, showed that all 3 overexpressed glycoprotein nonmetastatic B, and showed that both cases with adequate material demonstrated loss of TSC2 protein and expressed cytokeratin 20 and cathepsin K by immunohistochemistry. In summary, "oncocytoid renal cell carcinomas after neuroblastoma" represent ESC RCC which are often multifocal in patients who have survived childhood cancer, likely representing an incompletely characterized tumor predisposition syndrome. MTOR-targeted therapy represents an effective therapeutic option for such patients to preserve functional nephrons.
The American journal of surgical pathology. 2023 Aug 01 [Epub ahead of print]
Pedram Argani, L Jeffrey Medeiros, Andres Matoso, Ezra Baraban, Tamara Lotan, Bruce R Pawel, Jesse K McKenney, Rohit Mehra, Sara M Falzarano, Aparna Pallavajjalla, Ming-Tseh Lin, Sachin Patel, Jawhar Rawwas, Anne E Bendel, Jeffrey Gagan, Doreen N Palsgrove
Departments of Pathology., Department of Hematopathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA., Department of Pathology, Robert J. Tomsich Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH., Department of Pathology and Michigan Center for Translational Pathology (MCTP), University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI., Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL., Departments of Radiology., Hematology/Oncology, Children's Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN., Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.