Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most frequent renal tumor in adults, and chromophobe represents the third most frequent subtype, following clear cell and papillary. However, they are extraordinarily rare in childhood, accounting for less than 2% of all renal tumors, and chromophobe subtype in particular is almost anecdotal.
Methods and results: We report the case of a 14-year-old child presenting with hematuria. Imaging tests revealed a large renal mass. After a percutaneous biopsy to exclude other entities, the patient underwent radical nephrectomy with lymphadenectomy and was diagnosed with an eosinophilic chromophobe RCC. At the 6-year follow-up, there was no evidence of recurrence.
Conclusions: RCC in childhood may represent a different entity from adult RCC, with distinct morphologic characteristics and unique genetic abnormalities. The role of the pathologist is crucial, as the diagnosis and classification of RCC in children is still a matter of discussion. New protocols are being tested that will provide more accurate knowledge and therefore may change the clinical management of pediatric RCC.
KEYWORDS: Renal cell carcinoma, chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, pediatric oncology
CORRESPONDENCE: Ignacio Puche-Sanz, MD, Urology Department, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Av Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18014, Granada, Spain ( )
CITATION: UroToday Int J. 2013 February;6(1):art 12.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3834/uij.1944-5784.2013.02.12
