title: Adenocarcinoma of renal pelvis.
abstract: Adenocarcinoma accounts for a small percentage of neoplasms arising within the renal pelvis. We describe a mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis that occurred in a 57-year-old woman. Investigation of the recent literature reveals an additional 12 cases of adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis reported since 1980. These 13 cases are summarized in detail, for a total of 59 cases of adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis documented in the English-language literature. These tumors can be subdivided into three major histologic types: tubulovillous, mucinous, and papillary non-intestinal. The tubulovillous and mucinous tumors are morphologically similar to intestinal tumors accounting for 71.5% and 21.5% of cases, respectively. They are believed to arise in foci of intestinal metaplasia. Only three cases (7%) were of the nonintestinal, nonmucinous, papillary subtype. These rare tumors are notable for their morphologic similarity to Bellini or collecting duct carcinoma, but a specific morphologic precursor has not been identified. Of the three subtypes, tumors of tubulovillous morphology confer the worst prognosis with 70% of patients dying within 5 years. Thirty-three percent of mucinous tumors and none of the papillary nonintestinal tumors were fatal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Spires
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Banks
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cibull
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Munch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delworth
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Alexander
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D007682:Kidney Pelvis / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged