Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature review

Renal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare due to the absence of neuroendocrine cells in the kidney. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging often leading to misdiagnosis unnecessary nephrectomy. This study retrospectively analyzed three cases of renal NETs reviewing their diagnosis treatment process...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: ShiHui Wang, JiongMing Li, JieShun Yang, Pei Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Oncology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1544525/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850219205630099456
author ShiHui Wang
JiongMing Li
JieShun Yang
Pei Li
author_facet ShiHui Wang
JiongMing Li
JieShun Yang
Pei Li
author_sort ShiHui Wang
collection DOAJ
description Renal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare due to the absence of neuroendocrine cells in the kidney. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging often leading to misdiagnosis unnecessary nephrectomy. This study retrospectively analyzed three cases of renal NETs reviewing their diagnosis treatment processes. The first case involved a 46-year-old female presenting with lower abdominal pain diagnosed with a left renal NET (G2) post-surgery. The second case was a 56-year-old female with back pain diagnosed with a renal pelvic NET (G2) after laparoscopic nephroureterectomy. The third case was a 45-year-old female presenting with a palpable mass diagnosed with a right renal NET (G3) with liver metastases. All cases exhibited non-specific clinical presentations imaging findings highlighting the difficulty in preoperative diagnosis. Surgical resection was the primary treatment for non-metastatic cases while the metastatic case received a combination of surgical medical therapy. This study emphasizes the need for improved preoperative diagnostic methods to avoid aggressive surgical approaches to preserve renal units when possible. Further research is required to develop effective diagnostic tools treatment strategies for renal NETs.
format Article
id doaj-art-83029943d6e6441e882bfe1c4e553ab1
institution OA Journals
issn 2234-943X
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Oncology
spelling doaj-art-83029943d6e6441e882bfe1c4e553ab12025-08-20T02:07:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2025-06-011510.3389/fonc.2025.15445251544525Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature reviewShiHui WangJiongMing LiJieShun YangPei LiRenal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare due to the absence of neuroendocrine cells in the kidney. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging often leading to misdiagnosis unnecessary nephrectomy. This study retrospectively analyzed three cases of renal NETs reviewing their diagnosis treatment processes. The first case involved a 46-year-old female presenting with lower abdominal pain diagnosed with a left renal NET (G2) post-surgery. The second case was a 56-year-old female with back pain diagnosed with a renal pelvic NET (G2) after laparoscopic nephroureterectomy. The third case was a 45-year-old female presenting with a palpable mass diagnosed with a right renal NET (G3) with liver metastases. All cases exhibited non-specific clinical presentations imaging findings highlighting the difficulty in preoperative diagnosis. Surgical resection was the primary treatment for non-metastatic cases while the metastatic case received a combination of surgical medical therapy. This study emphasizes the need for improved preoperative diagnostic methods to avoid aggressive surgical approaches to preserve renal units when possible. Further research is required to develop effective diagnostic tools treatment strategies for renal NETs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1544525/fullrenal neuroendocrine tumorsdiagnosistreatmentcase reportliterature review
spellingShingle ShiHui Wang
JiongMing Li
JieShun Yang
Pei Li
Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature review
Frontiers in Oncology
renal neuroendocrine tumors
diagnosis
treatment
case report
literature review
title Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature review
title_full Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature review
title_fullStr Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature review
title_full_unstemmed Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature review
title_short Diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors: a case report and literature review
title_sort diagnosis and treatment of renal neuroendocrine tumors a case report and literature review
topic renal neuroendocrine tumors
diagnosis
treatment
case report
literature review
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1544525/full
work_keys_str_mv AT shihuiwang diagnosisandtreatmentofrenalneuroendocrinetumorsacasereportandliteraturereview
AT jiongmingli diagnosisandtreatmentofrenalneuroendocrinetumorsacasereportandliteraturereview
AT jieshunyang diagnosisandtreatmentofrenalneuroendocrinetumorsacasereportandliteraturereview
AT peili diagnosisandtreatmentofrenalneuroendocrinetumorsacasereportandliteraturereview