Carcinoma of renal papillary type 2 cells of infrequent presentation: case report

Abstract

Renal cell carcinomas (RCC) represent 1 to 3% of all malignant visceral neoplasms and are more prevalent in male patients. In Brazil, the incidence of this cancer varies between 7 to 10 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants per year in industrialized regions. Smoking is a definitive risk factor for RCC. Other related factors, but not definitely confirmed, can be related, as obesity, hypertension and therapy with estrogens. The RCCs, in their initial phases, do not manifest characteristic signs or symptoms, which hinders early diagnosis. More than 60% of kidney tumors cases are diagnosed incidentally during routine imaging examinations, mainly due to the increasing use of ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT). About 70 to 80% of RCCs are clear cell carcinomas. Papillary tumors  represent 10 to 15% of cases, and chromophobe tumors, about 3 to 5%. This histological classification is extremely important, because it determines significant prognostic and therapeutic implications. The present article presents the case report of a papillary type 2 renal cells carcinoma, diagnosed in a female patient, with large size and predominantly cystic pattern, infrequent variants of renal cell carcinomas.