Sporadic hemangioblastoma of the kidney in a 29-year-old man

Int J Surg Pathol. 2012 Oct;20(5):519-22. doi: 10.1177/1066896911434548. Epub 2012 Jan 23.

Abstract

Hemangioblastoma of the kidney is a rare, newly recognized tumor with morphological features similar to its cerebellar counterpart. There have been only 4 cases reported in the literature in English, all of them occurring in middle-aged to elderly patients. Here, we report a case of renal hemangioblastoma in a young adult without clinical evidence of von Hippel-Lindau disease. The tumor was composed of polygonal cells with mildly eosinophilic to clear cytoplasm and a rich vascular network. Immunohistochemical staining revealed a typical profile (positivity for α-inhibin, neuron-specific enolase and S100; negative results for epithelial membrane antigen, HMB-45, and Melan-A), which confirmed the diagnosis. Despite the similarity to renal-cell carcinoma in morphology, hemangioblastoma of the kidney is clinically indolent. Correct recognition of this pathological entity is important to avoid overdiagnosis and unnecessary clinical treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / diagnosis
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Hemangioblastoma / metabolism
  • Hemangioblastoma / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Inhibins / metabolism
  • Kidney Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Kidney Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Male
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / metabolism
  • Rare Diseases
  • S100 Proteins / metabolism
  • von Hippel-Lindau Disease / diagnosis

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • S100 Proteins
  • inhibin-alpha subunit
  • Inhibins
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase