Histopathologic approaches to the infiltrative renal mass

Most renal masses are round or oval, well-circumscribed, and demonstrate a well-defined interface from the normal renal parenchyma. However, a small subset of renal tumors exhibits an infiltrative pattern, with a poorly-defined interface with the renal parenchyma and entrapment of normal structures. These infiltrative renal malignancies generally show more aggressive clinical course and are associated with a poorer prognosis compared to the more typical renal neoplasms. Main differential diagnoses for a renal mass with infiltrative histology would include urothelial carcinoma, fumarate hydratase (FH)-deficient renal cell carcinoma (RCC), medullary RCC, metastatic cancer from another organ, and rare patterns of clear cell or papillary RCC.
Source: Diagnostic Histopathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Mini-symposium: Updates in genitourinary pathology Source Type: research