Open AccessClear cell renal cell carcinoma with heterotopic bone formation: A case report and literature review
Author(s) -
Estelle Oertling,
Cacey Peters,
Robert S. Wood,
Jonathan L. Silberstein,
Andrew B. Sholl,
Nadja Falk
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
case reports in clinical pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2331-2734
pISSN - 2331-2726
DOI - 10.5430/crcp.v5n2p16
Subject(s) - medicine , pathology , heterotopic ossification , renal cell carcinoma , adipose tissue , metaplasia , ossification , clear cell , anatomy
The phenomenon of heterotopic bone formation (osseous metaplasia) is defined as an abnormal ossification of non-skeletal tissues and does represent a rare occurrence in the renal cell carcinoma setting. We describe a case of a 40-year old man with bilateral renal cell carcinomas of the histological clear cell subtype, with the right-sided renal cell carcinoma demonstrating heterotopic bone formation, as well as the presence of intratumoral adipose tissue. The etiology of bone formation in a renal cell carcinoma is unclear, but possible explanations include a response to tissue ischemia and the expression of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2. The detection of these rare morphologic variations is of paramount importance, not to be mistaken as sarcomatoid transformation and renal sinus fat invasion, which would advance the pathologic tumor stage and aggressiveness of the disease.