Preservation of truncal genomic alterations in clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinomas with sarcomatoid features: An intra- and intertumoral, multifocal fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis reveals limited genetic heterogeneity

Clinicopathologic and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Sarcomatoid Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Analysis of 22 Cases

Sarcomatoid differentiation in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) is a rare finding and a significant predictor of worse outcomes. When the sarcomatoid component overgrows the conventional component or is the only component on a biopsy, the differential diagnoses encompass a variety of entities. Therefore, we reviewed 22 sarcomatoid ChRCCs and characterized the immunophenotype. Given that renal carcinomas with sarcomatoid features may benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapy we also assessed the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) (28-8) expression. DOG1, CD117, cytokeratin 7, and PAX8 were negative in 100%, 88%, 63%, and 44% of the sarcomatoid components, respectively. GATA3 was expressed in 31% of the conventional components and in 50% of the sarcomatoid components. One conventional and 3 sarcomatoid components expressed PD-L1. Sarcomatoid ChRCCs have a high propensity for metastases and cancer progression. Distant metastatic disease was seen in 73% of the cases and median survival in this cohort was <1 year. The sarcomatoid portion had increased expression of PD-L1 and frequent loss of expression of multiple immunohistochemical markers associated with ChRCC. Half of the sarcomatoid ChRCC exhibited GATA3 expression, 3 of which did not express PAX8.

Epidemiology, biology and treatment of sarcomatoid RCC: current state of the art

Long recognized to confer an extremely poor prognosis, sarcomatoid dedifferentiation of renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) is a tumor phenotype that is finally beginning to be better understood on the molecular and genetic levels. With an overall incidence that ranges from 1 to 32% depending on associated RCC subtype, the survival of sarcomatoid RCC patients rarely exceeds 2 years. The main reasons for its poor outcome include its aggressive biology, its tendency to present at an advanced or metastatic stage at the time of diagnosis, its high rate of tumor recurrence after nephrectomy, and its limited response to systemic therapies. Molecular pathology studies suggest that sarcomatoid dedifferentiation originates from a focal epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) arising in the carcinomatous component of the tumor. It is hoped that the growing understanding of the molecular biology of sRCC will soon make it possible to adapt treatments based on the identification of actionable tumor alterations. The deliberate inclusion of these patients in the multicenter clinical trials of immune, targeted and combination therapies is a necessary next step in pioneering future treatment strategies.

Genomic classifications of renal cell carcinoma: a critical step towards the future application of personalized kidney cancer care with pan-omics precision

Over the past 20 years, classifications of kidney cancer have undergone major revisions based on morphological refinements and molecular characterizations. The 2016 WHO classification of renal tumors recognizes more than ten different renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes. Furthermore, the marked inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity of RCC is now well appreciated. Nevertheless, contemporary multi-omics studies of RCC, encompassing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, not only highlight apparent diversity but also showcase and underline commonality. Here, we wish to provide an integrated perspective concerning the future 'functional' classification of renal cancer by bridging gaps among morphology, biology, multi-omics, and therapeutics. This review focuses on recent progress and elaborates the potential value of contemporary pan-omics approaches with a special emphasis on cancer genomics unveiled through next-generation sequencing technology, and how an integrated multi-omics approach might impact precision-based personalized kidney cancer care in the near future. Copyright © 2017 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.