Background:

Collecting duct carcinoma is an extremely rare type of renal cell carcinoma and accounts for 0.5 to 3% of malignant kidney cancers. It is an aggressive, rapidly invasive disease that progresses to early metastasis.

Clinical case:

Three cases of advanced-stage collecting duct carcinoma confirmed through histologic study are reported herein. The clinical characteristics of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. All the patients had a history of smoking, were symptomatic at the time of diagnosis, and presented with advanced-stage disease. The three patients underwent radical nephrectomy and all died before the end of two postoperative months: 2 of the deaths were due to postoperative complications and 1 from early disease progression.

Conclusions:

Cytoreductive nephrectomy may be a source of morbidity and mortality. Larger case series are required to define its role in the treatment of collecting duct carcinoma.

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