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Renal Medullary Carcinoma

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Rare Kidney Tumors

Abstract

First described in 1995 [1], renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) predominantly afflicts young adults and adolescents with sickle cell trait and is one of the most aggressive renal cell carcinomas [2, 3]. It arises from the renal papillae or calyceal epithelium of the renal medulla. In the original series by Davis et al. [1], the median overall survival of patients with RMC was only 4 months, and despite therapy it has only improved to 13 months in the most recent series of cases [3]. RMC is very rare, comprising <0.5% of all renal cell carcinomas [4], but its incidence is likely underestimated as it is a challenging diagnosis that can often be mistaken for collecting duct carcinoma or other aggressive kidney malignancies [5].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Pavlos Msaouel, Priya Rao & Nizar M. Tannir

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  1. Pavlos Msaouel
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  2. Priya Rao
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  3. Nizar M. Tannir
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Correspondence to Nizar M. Tannir .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology and Oncology, Strasbourg University Hospital, Hopital Civil, Strasbourg, France

    Gabriel G. Malouf

  2. Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Nizar M. Tannir

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Msaouel, P., Rao, P., Tannir, N.M. (2019). Renal Medullary Carcinoma. In: Malouf, G., Tannir, N. (eds) Rare Kidney Tumors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96989-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96989-3_6

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