Atypical cysts and carcinomas of the kidneys in the phacomatoses. A quantitative DNA study using static and flow cytometry.

Reported are the pathologic features of atypical cysts and/or renal cell carcinomas found in the kidneys of four patients having either tuberous sclerosis or Hippel-Lindau disease. In addition, cellular DNA contents of the cells lining the atypical cysts and comprising the carcinomas were quantitated using both static and flow cytometric techniques. These studies showed that cysts lined by atypical epithelial cells are frequently present in renal parenchyma adjacent to the renal carcinomas, and that the cytologic features of atypical cells lining the cysts were essentially the same as the cytologic features found in the adjacent well-differentiated, renal cell carcinomas. DNA quantitative studies revealed that both the renal cell carcinomas and the atypical cyst lining cells had the same DNA indices and were essentially DNA euploid. In this patient group these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the atypical cyst lining cells evolve into the renal cell carcinomas; however, they do not prove this proposed but likely sequence.