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CASE REPORT
Renal cell carcinoma with alpha-fetoprotein secretion and tissue expression – A case report
| 1 | Clinical Department of Oncology and Immunooncology, Ministry of Internal Affairs Hospital with Warmia and Mazury Oncology Centre in Olsztyn, Poland |
| 2 | Chair and Department of Pathomorphology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland |
| 3 | Department of Oncology, NZOZ Magodent, Warsaw, Poland |
| 4 | Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland |
| 5 | Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Ministry of Internal Affairs Hospital with Warmia and Mazury Oncology Centre in Olsztyn, Poland |
| 6 | Department of Pathology and Neuropathology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Department of Pathomorphology, Copernicus PL Hospitals, Poland |
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Dawid Sigorski
Clinical Department of Oncology and Immunooncology, Ministry of Internal Affairs Hospital with Warmia and Mazury Oncology Centre in Olsztyn, Wojska Polskiego 37, 10-228 Olsztyn, Poland. Tel.: +48 89 539 8515; fax: +48 89 539 8303.
Clinical Department of Oncology and Immunooncology, Ministry of Internal Affairs Hospital with Warmia and Mazury Oncology Centre in Olsztyn, Wojska Polskiego 37, 10-228 Olsztyn, Poland. Tel.: +48 89 539 8515; fax: +48 89 539 8303.
Submission date: 2016-01-25
Acceptance date: 2016-11-24
Online publication date: 2016-12-14
Publication date: 2020-03-22
Pol. Ann. Med. 2017;24(2):240–244
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a glycoprotein which can be elevated in some nononcological conditions, and in few types of cancers being a diagnostic and monitoring biomarker. Kidney cancer can produce several substances, which have biological activity and even cause paraneoplastic syndromes. AFP elevation in course of renal cancer is extremely rarely encountered.
Aim:
To present diagnostic difficulties in a case of a 43-year-old man with a kidney tumor.
Case study:
Clinical and pathological case description.
Results and discussion:
The patient initially presented with features of urogenital infection and lumbar pain. Performed diagnostics revealed at first epididymitis, then serum elevation of AFP, and finally renal tumor. Based on wide immunophenotyping, the tumor was histopathologically recognized as high grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma with AFP expression. Clinically the patient presented unexpected rapid cancer progression with parallel increase of above biomarker level, causing repeated exclusion assessment of germ cell tumor.
Conclusions:
The diagnostics of kidney mass in our patient was interfered and complicated by concomitant genital infection and AFP serum elevation. Clinically found increased level of AFP requires extensive evaluation, including diagnostics of different tumors.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a glycoprotein which can be elevated in some nononcological conditions, and in few types of cancers being a diagnostic and monitoring biomarker. Kidney cancer can produce several substances, which have biological activity and even cause paraneoplastic syndromes. AFP elevation in course of renal cancer is extremely rarely encountered.
Aim:
To present diagnostic difficulties in a case of a 43-year-old man with a kidney tumor.
Case study:
Clinical and pathological case description.
Results and discussion:
The patient initially presented with features of urogenital infection and lumbar pain. Performed diagnostics revealed at first epididymitis, then serum elevation of AFP, and finally renal tumor. Based on wide immunophenotyping, the tumor was histopathologically recognized as high grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma with AFP expression. Clinically the patient presented unexpected rapid cancer progression with parallel increase of above biomarker level, causing repeated exclusion assessment of germ cell tumor.
Conclusions:
The diagnostics of kidney mass in our patient was interfered and complicated by concomitant genital infection and AFP serum elevation. Clinically found increased level of AFP requires extensive evaluation, including diagnostics of different tumors.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None declared.
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