Renal medullary carcinoma: Case report of an aggressive malignancy with near-complete response to dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin chemotherapy

Abstract

Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a rare but aggressive malignancy affecting young individuals with sickle cell trait. Renal medullary carcinoma commonly presents with advanced or metastatic disease and is associated with a rapidly progressive clinical course and an extremely short overall survival measured in weeks to few months. Due to the rarity of RMC, there is no proven effective therapy and patients are often treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. We report near-complete radiological and pathological response in a patient treated with dose-dense MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) chemotherapy. The patient underwent consolidation nephrectomy and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and had a 16-month progression-free survival, one of the longest reported in patients with RMC.