[A case of renal cell carcinoma during pregnancy]

Renal cell carcinoma during pregnancy is extremely rare. This 30-year-old patient was first seen on Dec. 18, 1983 at the 7th week of her 2nd pregnancy. She had asymptomatic hematuria. Cystoscopy revealed normal findings and sonogram showed well defined echogenic mass in the upper pole of the right kidney. She was admitted to our hospital on account of gross hematuria and severe lumbago on Jan. 19, 1984. The pregnancy was stopped by artificial abortion. Renal angiography revealed a rich-vascularized tumor in the upper pole of the right kidney. Preoperatively, arterial embolization was done and nephrectomy was performed. Histological examination showed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. There was no involvement of the renal vein and no lymph-node metastases were found in the operation specimen. The post-operative course was uneventful. This rare case of renal cell carcinoma during pregnancy is herein reported along with some discussion.