Renal Cell Carcinoma: Clinical, Radiologic and Pathologic Characteristics

Lee, Sang Eun; Park, Moon Soo; Lee, An Kie

Abstract

Cystic renal cell carcinoma includes any malignant neoplasm of renal tubular epithelium which presents as fluid-filled mass. We reviewed 11 patients of cystic renal cell carcinoma to identify the clinical radiologic and pathologic characteristics of the tumor. The clinical feature of cystic renal cell carcinoma was similar to those which are solid. There are four basic pathologic mechanisms resulting in cystic renal cell carcinoma :intrinsic multiloculated growth (3 patients), intrinsic unilocular growth (1 patient), cystic necrosis (6 patients), and origin from the epithelial lining of a preexisting simple cyst (1 patient). There are three basic radiologic patterns of cystic renal cell carcinoma :unilocular cystic mass (6 patients), multiloculated cystic mass (3 patients), and discrete mural nodule in a cystic mass (2 patients).