Collecting duct carcinoma of the kidney

Collecting duct carcinoma is a distinctive histologic subtype of renal cell carcinoma which has recently gained acceptance as a clinico-pathologic entity. Approximately 50 cases have been described, with the largest series to date reports 12 cases. Based on the literature experience certain key characteristics regarding this tumor emerge, including predilection for younger age, epicenter in renal medulla, high grade nuclear features with desmoplasia and mucin production, and aggressive clinical course. Origin from the collecting duct is based on the observation of dysplastic changes in the adjacent collecting ducts as well as immunohistochemical reactivity for Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1 lectin, peanut lectin agglutinin and high molecular weight cytokeratin. Recently there is evidence that the histologic spectrum of collecting duct carcinoma may be wider than that published. In this article we review the clinical and pathologic features of collecting duct carcinoma based on the reported cases and place them into perspective with the putative widening histologic spectrum.