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Histology and Immunohistochemistry
128
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1995
Year
Papillary renal cell carcinoma is a rare RCC subtype with distinct gross, histologic, and cytogenetic characteristics, yet immunohistochemical profiling has been sparsely reported. The study compared 36 papillary RCCs and 5 renal cell adenomas to 19 non‑papillary RCCs using a panel of keratin and carcinoembryonic antigen antibodies. Papillary tumors were frequently multifocal and associated with adenomas, displayed low‑grade patterns (typical, trabecular, sclerotic) and high‑grade admixtures, were uniformly AE1/AE3‑positive and 92 % callus‑keratin‑positive, whereas non‑papillary tumors showed lower AE1/AE3 and callus staining, underscoring callus keratin expression as a distinguishing marker between papillary/adenoma lesions and other RCC subtypes.
Papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an uncommon subtype of RCC that has distinctive gross, histologic, and cytogenetic features, but for which only limited immunohistochemistry data have been reported. We compared 36 papillary RCCs and five renal cell adenomas with 19 non-papillary (clear cell and granular) RCCs using a variety of antibodies to keratin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Papillary tumors were often multifocal and associated with coexistent adenomas, whereas nonpapillary tumors generally lacked these features. Low-grade papillary RCCs demonstrated three occasionally overlapping histologic patterns (typical, trabecular, and sclerotic), whereas high-grade tumors were characterized by an admixture of many patterns. Immunohistochemically, 100% (36 of 36 cases) of the papillary tumors were positive for AEI/AE3. and 92% (33 of 36 cases) were positive for callus keratins; only 3% (one of 36 cases) stained for 34BE12, and 11% (four of 36 cases) stained for CEA. The five renal cell adenomas were likewise positive for AEI/AE3 (five of five cases) and callus (five of five cases) keratins. In contrast, 85% (16 of 19 cases) of the nonpapillary tumors stained for AEI/AE3, but only 5% (one of 19 cases) stained for callus: non (2/19) stained for 34BE12, and 10% (2/19) weakly stained for CEA. The consistent expression of callus keratins by papillary RCCs and renal cell adenomas underscores the close relation of these lesions, providing additional evidence for their oncological distinction from nonpapillary RCCs