Understanding Your Report
Below is an example of a pathology report someone diagnosed with kidney cancer may receive. Hover over a section to learn more about that part of the report.
November 6, 2023
Clinical History: Patient is a 48-year-old African American male who presented with hematuria. Abdominal/pelvic CT showed a large right renal mass.
Specimen: Right kidney
Diagnosis:
- RIGHT KIDNEY, RADICAL NEPHRECTOMY:
- Clear cell renal carcinoma
- See comment and synoptic report
Comments:
Immunohistochemical stains show positive staining in tumor cells for PAX8, CA9, and AE1- AE3. Cathepsin K and CK7 are negative in tumor cells. The findings support the diagnosis.
Synoptic Diagnosis:
- RIGHT KIDNEY:
SPECIMEN
Procedure:
Radical nephrectomy
Specimen Laterality:
Right
Tumor Focality:
Unifocal
Tumor Site:
Perinephric fat
Tumor Size:
Greatest Dimension (Centimeters): 4.5 cm
Histologic Type:
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Histologic Grade (WHO/ ISUP)
G3 (Nucleoli conspicuous and eosinophilic at 100x magnification)
Tumor Extent:
No extension into other organ(s)/structure(s)
Sarcomatoid Features:
Not identified
Rhabdoid Features:
Not identified
Tumor Necrosis:
Not identified
MARGINS
Margin Status:
All margins negative for invasive carcinoma
REGIONAL LYMPH NODES
Regional Lymph Node Status:
Not applicable (no regional lymph nodes submitted or found)
PATHOLOGIC STAGE CLASSIFICATION
Primary Tumor (pT):
pT4
Regional Lymph Nodes: (pN):
pN not assigned (no nodes submitted or found)
Gross description
RIGHT KIDNEY
Received fresh-labeled with the patient’s identification and “Right kidney”, is a right nephrectomy specimen with attached perinephric fat. The kidney is 9.7 x 5.8 x 3.5. The attached 8 x 0.5 segment of ureter is grossly unremarkable, as are the renal vessels. The external surface is marked with blue ink.
The kidney is bivalved to reveal a 4.5 x 3.8 x 3.2 cm yellow-orange solid mass in the superior perinephric fat. The mass is adherent to the superior portion of the renal capsule but not grossly appear to be originating from the renal parenchyma. The mass is 6.5 cm from the ureter margin, 1.2 cm from the renal artery, and 2.0 cm from the renal vein. No other grossly distinct massesor nodules are seen. The remaining kidney is pale tan, with a well defined corticomedullary junction, and a cortical thickness of 0.4 cm.
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References:
Information on this page last reviewed: January, 2025
Keep Learning:
The Kidney Cancer Association provides educational literature for anyone impacted by kidney cancer.