Renal medullary carcinoma: sonographic, computed tomography, magnetic resonance and angiographic findings

Renal medullary carcinoma is a recently described, highly aggressive tumour, occurring predominantly in young patients of African descent with sickle cell trait (SCT). All have been metastatic at surgery. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy do not appear to alter the course of the disease. The survival time is very short. Presentation is usually with haematuria, abdominal pain and weight loss. Forty-nine patients have been reported from the USA, of these 47 were African/Americans. The reports have mostly appeared in pathology journals. On review of the imaging findings reported in the radiological journals, it becomes apparent that it is possible for a radiologist to suggest a specific diagnosis in the appropriate demographic and clinical setting. Here the first British patient of Afro-Caribbean decent in whom a pre-operative diagnosis was suggested on the imaging findings of a centrally located renal pelvic tumour, encasing the pelvis on a background of SCT in a 28-year-old is described. It is expected that a high index of suspicion in the appropriate clinical setting may lead to earlier diagnosis, treatment and survival of patients. The patient is alive and reasonably well 9 months after surgery. The full range of imaging findings in renal medullary carcinoma are described.