Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma: CT and MRI Findings, Differential Diagnosis, Pathology, and Prognosis
How to recognize a hypovascular renal mass in a woman with persistent flank pain—and why relatively weak enhancement does not exclude malignancy. Edited by ScholarGen MediAI Team Executive Answer Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) is an uncommon subtype of renal cell carcinoma that may appear as a well-defined renal mass with less contrast enhancement than the normal renal cortex. On multiphasic CT, the combination of enhancement characteristics, internal cystic components, tumor margins, and the relationship to adjacent structures helps guide the differential diagnosis and local staging. However, imaging cannot reliably distinguish every chRCC from papillary renal cell carcinoma or renal oncocytoma. In this case, a woman in her mid-50s presented with one month of persistent flank pain. A right lower-pole renal mass was ultimately diagnosed as chRCC after radical nephrectomy. Pathology documented a 6 × 5 cm tumor, negative surgical margins, no renal vein or perinephric fat ...