title: Correlation between size of renal cell carcinoma and its grade, stage, and histological subtype.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between histological subtype, size, grade, and stage of the kidney tumors and to investigate whether a correlation exists between the size of the kidney tumor and its behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1996 and 2004, we had 212 patients with radical or partial nephrectomy due to a kidney tumor at Shaheed Labbafinejad Medical Center. Their pathologic blocks were re-evaluated with consideration of their tumor size and pathologic features.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 212 pathologic blocks, 17 (8%) were benign and 195 (92%) were malignant masses including 179 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumors. Malignant tumors were slightly greater compared with the benign ones (P=.10). There was no significant relation between the size of tumor and the histological subtype. Significant relations between the size of the kidney tumor and the nuclear grade (P=.007), clinical symptoms (P=.02), and extracapsular extension (P<.001) were observed. In smaller RCC tumors (< 4 cm), extracapsular extension (stages T3 and T4) was rare (1 in 29). However, smaller RCC tumors were not significantly different from those larger than 4 cm regarding the nuclear grade, symptoms, and histological subtypes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tumor size is not an independent predictor for the histological subtype of the tumors; however, larger malignant tumors may have higher grades, higher stages, and clinical symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Shaheed Labbafinejad Hospital, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tabibi
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parvin
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdi
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bashtar
authors.forename: Nasim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zamani
authors.forename: Behrang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abadpour
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009392:Nephrectomy; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D047368:Tumor Burden; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery