Renal carcinomas associated with Xp11.2 translocations/TFE3 gene fusions: findings on MRI and computed tomography...

To retrospectively analyze MRI and computed tomographic (CT) findings from renal carcinomas associated with Xp11.2 translocations/TFE3 gene fusions (Xp11-RCC).

Institutional review board permission was obtained to review patient medical records, and the requirement for informed consent was waved . The clinical and MRI/CT features of five cases with Xp11-RCC that were confirmed by pathology were analyzed retrospectively. The image characteristics included the lesion location and size, contribution of cystic and solid components, intratumoral necrosis or hemorrhage, invasion of perinephric tissue and renal sinus, lymphadenopathy, major venous or arterial vascular invasion, pattern of the tumor growth, intratumor calcification and lipids, homogeneity of SI on T2-weighted images, attenuation and SI of the mass with respect to the normal renal cortex on precontrast and contrasted CT/MRI images, tumor SIs, tumor attenuations and tumor-to-cortex indices, homogeneity of enhancement on the contrasted images.

The mean age was 32 years (range, 15-47 years). Most patients (4/5) were women. All tumors showed a cortical location. The average tumor size was 9 cm (range, 4-18 cm). Four tumors comprised a predominantly solid lesion with focal necrosis, and one tumor comprised a solid lesion with significant necrosis. All tumors showed intertumor hemorrhage, infiltrative growth and invasion of the perirenal adipose/renal sinus. Four cases showed retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy, of which one case showed simultaneous mediastinal and supraclavicular lymphadenopathy. All tumors from four cases showed mild hyperintensity on T1-weighted MRI images, and three tumors showed hypointensity on T2-weighted MRI images relative to the renal cortex except for 1 tumor that showed significant hemorrhage and a relative hyperintensity. For 3 cases who were imaged with CT, two tumors imaged using nonenhanced CT images showed mild hyperdensity relative to the renal cortex. Calcification was noted in all three tumors. All tumors showed mild, persistent enhancement.

Typical Xp11-RCC manifests as an advanced, solid renal mass with mild persistent enhancement, a prevalence of intertumor hemorrhage/calcification, and a cortical epicenter location. The predilection for children and young adults is a useful clinical feature when confirming a diagnosis of Xp11-RCC.