Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the second most common urologic neoplasm, after prostate cancer in men and bladder cancer in women. The prevalence of RCC has been increasing in recent years. This is likely due to several factors, including changes in diet and lifestyle, as well as increased awareness of the disease. Our study aims to recognize diverse demographic attributes among RCC patients, examine varied characteristics of subtypes using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), and ascertain the distinguishing traits among these subtypes. Methods: This study included 25 patients who had undergone pre-operative CT scans at our institution. The scans were performed according to our renal mass protocol, which includes four phases: unenhanced, corticomedullary, nephrographic, and excretory. All patients had a confirmed pathological diagnosis of a specific subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Results: This study identified four distinct subtypes of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs): clear cell RCC (CRCC), papillary RCC (PRCC), Xp 11.2 translocation-TFE3 carcinoma (TRCC), and chromophobe RCC (ChRCC). CRCC was the most common subtype, followed by PRCC. The majority of tumors were small (≤200 cc) and had smooth margins. They showed varied enhancement patterns and signs of cystic degeneration. A small portion of the tumors displayed calcifications. The tumor enhancement ratio was above 0.3. The density of solid tumor areas in CECT scans was high and closely resembled the attenuation values of the renal cortex. In contrast, papillary, chromophobe, and TRCC types had relatively lower attenuation. Conclusion: This study found that tumor attenuation is the most important differentiating feature between different subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, other parameters assessed by multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) such as size at presentation, heterogeneity, tumor spread, and tumor/aorta enhancement ratio can also help to distinguish between different subtypes of RCC.

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the second most common urologic neoplasm, after prostate cancer in men and bladder cancer in women. The prevalence of RCC has been increasing in recent years. This is likely due to several factors, including changes in diet and lifestyle, as well as increased awareness of the disease. Our study aims to recognize diverse demographic attributes among RCC patients, examine varied characteristics of subtypes using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), and ascertain the distinguishing traits among these subtypes. Methods: This study included 25 patients who had undergone pre-operative CT scans at our institution. The scans were performed according to our renal mass protocol, which includes four phases: unenhanced, corticomedullary, nephrographic, and excretory. All patients had a confirmed pathological diagnosis of a specific subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Results: This study identified four distinct subtypes of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs): clear cell RCC (CRCC), papillary RCC (PRCC), Xp 11.2 translocation-TFE3 carcinoma (TRCC), and chromophobe RCC (ChRCC). CRCC was the most common subtype, followed by PRCC. The majority of tumors were small (≤200 cc) and had smooth margins. They showed varied enhancement patterns and signs of cystic degeneration. A small portion of the tumors displayed calcifications. The tumor enhancement ratio was above 0.3. The density of solid tumor areas in CECT scans was high and closely resembled the attenuation values of the renal cortex. In contrast, papillary, chromophobe, and TRCC types had relatively lower attenuation. Conclusion: This study found that tumor attenuation is the most important differentiating feature between different subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, other parameters assessed by multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) such as size at presentation, heterogeneity, tumor spread, and tumor/aorta enhancement ratio can also help to distinguish between different subtypes of RCC.