Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, eosinophilic variant with papillary growth: a case report

We report the case of an 80-year-old man who presented with pathologically diagnosed chromophobe renal cell carcinoma composed of eosinophilic cells with partial papillary growth. The patient had a 2.5 cm diameter renal mass incidentally detected by abdominal ultrasound examination. Laparoscopic left partial nephrectomy was performed under a diagnosis of left renal tumor. Histopathology demonstrated uniform eosinophilic cuboidal cells growing with a partially papillary pattern: differential diagnosis of oncocytoma, papillary renal cell carcinoma, or oncocytic papillary renal cell carcinoma was necessary. Immunohistochemical staining with anti-monoclonal antibody 31 and -CD82 antibody, and choroid iron staining, were positive. Cytogenetic analysis by comparative genomic hybridization showed gains of chromosomes 1p, 9q, 19q, 20, and 21q, and losses of chromosomes 1p and q, 2q, 6q and 7q, leading to diagnosis of chromophobe RCC. We describe differential diagnosis for chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, eosinophilic variant, growing in a papillary fashion in the kidney.