Immunohistochemical Features of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Clear cell, Chromophobe, Papillary and Oncocytoma
 
  Clear Cell RCC Chromophobe  RCC Papillary RCC Oncocytoma
Vimentin 60-100% 0 +/− 0
CK7 11% 87% + Scattered strong +
CD117 0 82-88%   71-100%
CD10 91% 26-45% + 29%
CK14 − +   +
RCC + 50% >90% −
GST-α 82-91% 0   0
EpCAM 23% 100%   29% (scattered strong +)
EMA +     +
CK-HMW − − −  
Hale colloidal iron Negative Positive   Luminal positive
Electron Microscopy Lipid and glycogen Numerous vesicles   Numerous mitochondria
Others CD8/18+, CD19+, MUC1+   CD9+  
       
  • Glutathione S-transferase α (GST-α):  functions to protect cells by catalyzing the detoxification of xenobiotics and carcinogens.
  • CD117: transmembrane growth factor receptor, encoded by the proto-oncogene c-kit; widely expressed in various normal tissues and many tumors.
  • EpCAM: also known as KSA, KS1/4, and 17-1 antigen, a transmembrane cell surface epithelial protein encoded on chromosome 2p21.
References
  • Tumors of the Kidney, Bladder, and Related Urinary Structures. AFIP Atlas of Tumor Pathology - Fourth Series
  • Immunohistochemical Analysis of Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma, Renal Oncocytoma, and Clear Cell Carcinoma: An Optimal and Practical Panel for Differential Diagnosis. Lina Liu, MD, Junqi Qian, MD, Harpreet Singh, MS, Isabelle Meiers, MD, Xiaoge Zhou, MD and David G. Bostwick, MD, pages 1290–1297.
  • Abrahams NA, MacLennan GT, Khoury JD. et al. Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma: a comparative study of histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features using high throughput tissue microarray. Histopathology 2004;45:593–602.
  • Avery AK, Beckstead J, Renshaw AA, Corless CL. Use of antibodies to RCC and CD10 in the differential diagnosis of renal neoplasms. Am J Surg Pathol 2000;24:203–210.
  • Leroy X, Moukassa D, Copin MC, Saint F, Mazeman E, Gosselin B. Utility of cytokeratin 7 for distinguishing chromophobe renal cell carcinoma from renal oncocytoma. Eur Urol 2000;37:484–487.
  • Pan CC, Chen PC, Ho DM. The diagnostic utility of MOC31, BerEP4, RCC marker and CD10 in the classification of renal cell carcinoma and renal oncocytoma: an immunohistochemical analysis of 328 cases. Histopathology 2004;45:452–459.
  • Pan CC, Chen PC, Chiang H. Overexpression of KIT (CD117) in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma and renal oncocytoma. Am J Clin Pathol 2004;121:878–883.
  • Takahashi M, Yang XJ, Sugimura J. et al. Molecular subclassification of kidney tumors and the discovery of new diagnostic markers. Oncogene 2003;22:6810–6818.
  • Went P, Dirnhofer S, Salvisberg T. et al. Expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in renal epithelial tumors. Am J Surg Pathol 2005;29:83–88.
  • Bazille C, Allory Y, Molinie V. et al. Immunohistochemical characterisation of the main histologic subtypes of epithelial renal tumours on tissue-microarrays: study of 310 cases [in French]. Ann Pathol 2004;24:395–406.