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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

The Use of Reverse Phase Protein Arrays (RPPA) to Explore Protein Expression Variation within Individual Renal Cell Cancers
Published on: January 22, 2013
Rhabdoid differentiation of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma
Beverley A Shannon1, Ronald J Cohen
1Tissugen Pty Ltd, Perth, Western Australia.
Aims:
Rhabdoid change represents an aggressive form of divergent differentiation previously reported in conventional (clear-cell) and papillary renal cell carcinoma. This study aims to characterise rhabdoid differentiation in a case of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) and to investigate its origin by genetic analysis.
Methods:
A large tumour mass arising in the right kidney of a 76-year-old male was investigated using routine stains (H&E, Hale's colloidal iron), immunostains (vimentin, cytokeratin) and genetic analysis for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosomes 1, 2, 3p, 6q, 10q, 13q, 17q, 17p and 21q.
Results:
The tumour mass was comprised of the following histological subtypes: (i) typical ChRCC, (ii) eosinophilic variant ChRCC and (iii) rhabdoid variant RCC. Tumour cells of all three different histological subtypes had a positive reaction to Hale's colloidal iron stain, negative immunostaining for vimentin and LOH on chromosomes 2, 10q, 13q and 17p. These results are consistent with a diagnosis of ChRCC and indicate a common genetic origin for all three histological cell types.
Conclusions:
This study confirms that the aggressive rhabdoid variant can arise from ChRCC, as has been previously demonstrated for conventional (clear-cell) and papillary RCC.
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