Abstract
Pathologic stage is the single most important prognostic parameter for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The tumor, nodes, and metastases (TNM) staging system has two renal-limited categories: a category for local spread outside of the kidney and a category for metastatic disease. The primary mission of the pathologist in evaluation of a tumor nephrectomy is to determine if the tumor is renal limited, or if it has extended locally into veins or into one of the two perinephric fat compartments. Metastatic disease is largely the domain of the clinician (adrenal metastasis excluded). To fulfill this charge, the pathologist must understand the gross and microscopic nuances of the kidney and its environs in order to optimize the dissection strategies, and to permit recognition of invasive behaviors so critical to tissue sampling. Although the basic gross and microscopic anatomy of the kidney is familiar to most pathologists, there are anatomical points that merit specific emphasis with respect to renal neoplasia. This chapter reviews the basic anatomy of the kidney, its neighboring structures within the retroperitoneum, and the numerous potential avenues for distant spread.
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Abbreviations
- RCC:
-
Renal cell carcinoma
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Bonsib, S. (2015). Anatomy of the Kidney Revisited: Implications for Diagnosis and Staging of Renal Cell Carcinoma. In: Magi-Galluzzi, C., Przybycin, C. (eds) Genitourinary Pathology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2044-0_22
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