Role of molecular markers in diagnosis and prognosis of renal cell carcinoma

It has been demonstrated that different renal cell neoplasms have characteristic morphologic and genetic features. Histologic subtyping of renal epithelial neoplasms has been shown to be of prognostic value; therefore they must be correctly classified. Although adequate sampling and a good understanding of the morphologic features usually minimize diagnostic errors, the use of immunohistochemical and chromosomal analysis on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues can be necessary. These techniques can facilitate diagnosis on small biopsies, which are increasingly obtained from renal masses. An immunohistochemical panel including CD10, parvalbumin, AMACR, CK7 and S100A1 seems the most promising; fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis using centromeric probes to evaluate the gains and losses of the chromosomes can be helpful in selected cases. A wide variety of molecular markers have been examined, but further research is required to prove their value as prognostic tools.