Renal Cancer Without Primary Cancer in the Kidney: Extra-Renal TFE3 Translocation Associated Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

We report a case of an isolated para-aortic retroperitoneal renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the absence of a primary cancer in the kidney. Single case reports in the literature have described extra-renal RCC in different locations with no evidence of primary renal tumor. We present the initial presentation, diagnostic imaging, surgical treatment, and pathologic evaluation. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated positivity for TFE3 and TFEB, both of which are Microphthalmia associated transcription factors (MiT) associated with translocation RCCs. We hypothesize these few cases of extra-renal RCC represent rare forms of translocation RCC.