A Case Report of Partial Nephrectomy of Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma in Kidney and Its Literature Review

Abstract

Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (MC) of the kidney is a rare epithelial tumor originating from the renal pelvic urothelium and few study cases have been reported. Because of the rarity of these tumors and their unknown histogenesis, its diagnosis is difficult until surgical exploration. We report here on a 55-year-old man referred to the urology department from the hepatology department because of a cystic renal mass measuring approximately 5 cm in size, which was detected incidentally under ultrasonography during the routine examination of liver. The renal mass was finally diagnosed as MC originating from kidney after partial nephrectomy and the patient still showed no evidence of recurrence until 12 months postoperatively. This is the first report on a case of renal MC in a patient who underwent partial nephrectomy. The aim of this report is to present our unusual case of MC and also review the previous literature on the pathological and radiological aspects of MC of kidney.

Keywords: Kidney; Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma; Nephrectomy.

Fig. 1.

Computed tomography (A), magnetic resonance (B), and ultrasonographic (C) images showing a large unilocular renal cyst of the right kidney with multiple septation, a single mural nodule, and fluid materials filled in the cysts, but separate from other adjacent organs.

Fig. 2.

(A) Fresh and formalin fixed specimen of renal cystic mass after partial nephrectomy. (B) Areas of the cyst wall lined by atypical mucinous epithelium showing stratification and stroma-free papillae (H&E staining, ×40). The tumor cells invade into the capsular stroma. There is no endometrial stroma-like structure under the tumor epithelial lining. (C) Atypical mucinous epithelium with patchy cytokeratin 7 staining (×400). Atypical mucinous epithelium with diffuse strong staining for the MUC2 and MUC5AC gene products (×400).