Collecting duct carcinoma of the kidney associated with the sickle cell trait

Collecting duct carcinoma of the kidney is a rare neoplasm that arises from the medullary collecting ducts. It has an aggressive clinical course and patients usually present with metastatic disease. Treatment approaches apart from surgery have been unrewarding. Renal medullary carcinoma is also an aggressive tumour which occurs predominantly in young, black, male patients with sickle cell trait. We describe a case of collecting duct carcinoma in a 61-year-old black female who exhibited the sickle cell trait. Histopathology revealed a high-grade tubular carcinoma with marked desmoplasia, adjacent dysplastic collecting ducts and positive immunohistochemical staining for high and low molecular weight cytokeratins and epithelial membrane antigen. The association of collecting duct carcinoma with sickle cell trait has not been previously reported. This case supports the postulate that collecting duct carcinoma and renal medullary carcinoma may be part of the same spectrum of renal malignancies.