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Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, oncocytic variant: a proposal of a new variant giving a critical diagnostic pitfall in diagnosing renal oncocytic tumors

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Abstract

In chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (RCC), two forms of typical and eosinophilic variants have been reported to date. We have previously reported a new variant of chromophobe RCC, namely an oncocytic variant. However, little is known on the histological features of this variant. In this article, we report such five cases. Macroscopically, the tumor was well demarcated, but unencapsulated. The cut surface of the tumor showed brown in color, but neither hemorrhage nor necrosis was seen. Microscopically, the tumor consisted of predominant tubular configuration with or without various proportion of solid-sheet pattern. In one tumor, tumor cells microscopically invaded branches of renal vein. In addition, the constituting cells were characterized by the oncocytic cytoplasm, trivial to minimal variation in tumor size, indistinct to slightly distinct cell border, centrally located round nuclei and the absence of perinuclear halo. These characteristics entirely resembled renal oncocytoma. However, neoplastic cells immunohistochemically showed the diffuse and strong labeling for cytokeratin 7 and mitochondrial antigen in all cases. In addition, in fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) study the loss of more than four chromosomes among chromosomes 7, 10, 13, 17 and 21 was confirmed in all tumors and the diagnosis of chromophobe RCC was rendered. In conclusion, we propose a new variant, namely an oncocytic variant, of chromophobe RCC morphologically resembling renal oncocytoma and biologically showing characteristics of chromophobe RCC, and this recognition is practically crucial in the differential diagnosis from renal oncocytoma.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Grant (2011) from Kochi Medical School Alumni Association.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Kochi Red Cross Hospital, Shin-honmachi 2-13-51, Kochi, Kochi, 780-8562, Japan

    Naoto Kuroda & Azusa Tanaka

  2. Department of Cytopathology, Ayabe City Hospital, Kyoto, Japan

    Tadanori Yamaguchi

  3. Departments of Urology, National Hospital Organization, Kochi National Hospital, Kochi, Japan

    Kotaro Kasahara

  4. Departments of Pathology, National Hospital Organization, Kochi National Hospital, Kochi, Japan

    Keishi Naruse

  5. Department of Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    Yosuke Yamada & Kanako Hatanaka

  6. Department of Renal and Genitourinary Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan

    Nobuo Shinohara

  7. Department of Molecular Pathology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan

    Yoji Nagashima

  8. Division of Diagnostic Pathology, Keio University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Shuji Mikami

  9. Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Mototsugu Oya

  10. Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan

    Takeru Hamashima

  11. Sikl’s Department of Pathology, Charles University Medical Faculty Hospital, Plzen, Czech Republic

    Michal Michal & Ondrej Hes

Authors
  1. Naoto Kuroda
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  2. Azusa Tanaka
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  3. Tadanori Yamaguchi
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  4. Kotaro Kasahara
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  5. Keishi Naruse
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  6. Yosuke Yamada
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  7. Kanako Hatanaka
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  8. Nobuo Shinohara
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  9. Yoji Nagashima
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  10. Shuji Mikami
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  11. Mototsugu Oya
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  12. Takeru Hamashima
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  13. Michal Michal
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  14. Ondrej Hes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naoto Kuroda.

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Kuroda, N., Tanaka, A., Yamaguchi, T. et al. Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, oncocytic variant: a proposal of a new variant giving a critical diagnostic pitfall in diagnosing renal oncocytic tumors. Med Mol Morphol 46, 49–55 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00795-012-0007-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00795-012-0007-7

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