Sarcomatoid chromophobe cell renal carcinoma: immunohistochemical and lectin study in one case.

We present one case of sarcomatoid chromophobe cell renal carcinoma with an indolent clinical course and assume that the carcinomatous component may affect the biologic behavior. The patient was a 61-year-old man who underwent right radical nephrectomy for a 11.2 cm tumor in the lower pole. The immunohistochemical findings demonstrate that EMA and cytokeratins 8 and 18 are useful markers for the sarcomatoid fraction, and the lectin study shows a loss of surface blood antigen. Chromophobe cell carcinoma may convert into sarcomatoid carcinoma. The existence of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma as a distinct entity should be re-considered.