Primary Renal Mesenchymal Neoplasms in Nephrectomy Specimens: A 16-Year Survey of Primary and Incidental Cases From a Single Institution

Abstract

Context. Primary renal mesenchymal neoplasms are rare but diverse. Several neoplasms of mesenchymal derivation can arise as a primary renal mass; however, incidental tumors are identified in nephrectomies performed for end-stage renal disease or other malignant epithelial renal neoplasms. In this article, we document their frequencies with demographic information in nephrectomy specimens. Design. We retrospectively searched our database for nephrectomy specimens from the year 2000 to 2016. Results. A total of 224 cases were identified with an incidence rate of 4.4% (224/5128). One hundred ninety (85%) neoplasms were benign, 27 (12%) were malignant, and 7 (3%) were of intermediate biologic behavior. The majority of cases occurred in adults (93%, 208/224), and 39% of cases represented an incidental finding. The most common neoplasms were angiomyolipoma (58%) and renomedullary interstitial cell tumor (17%). Malignant mesenchymal kidney tumors are rare (0.39% of nephrectomy specimens). The most common adults’ malignant tumors in our survey were synovial sarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Conclusion. Primary renal mesenchymal tumors are rare and are mostly benign in nature with many incidentally identified lesions. They arise in different age groups with malignant lesions usually presenting at a younger mean age.