The Molecular Pathology of Some Pediatric Renal Tumors

Abstract

Pediatric renal tumors comprise a significant percentage of tumors in childhood. Many of these tumors can overlap significantly in their histopathological presentation and misdiagnoses are common. The integration of molecular diagnostic information with histopathological findings may contribute significantly toward improving diagnosis of such tumors. Molecular genetic analysis has revealed that many pediatric renal tumors carry different gene or chromosomal mutations that are tumor-specific. Various mutations can occur. Some pediatric renal tumors have not been clearly studied by molecular genetic analysis yet and it is recommended that these tumors undergo genetic studies. There are a number of different diagnostic situations where identification of a specific genetic mutation can be an important study. First, it can help to confirm the diagnosis of tumors with a variety of morphological/histological appearances and assist in differentiating between tumors that are morphologically similar.