Lymphoid Neoplasms of the Kidney

Abstract

The kidney is one of the most common extranodal sites to be involved by systemic lymphoma. However, because renal biopsies are only performed in a minority of patients, it is likely underdiagnosed. Autopsy series tend to show a higher incidence of renal involvement by lymphoma than clinical or radiological studies. Although data vary by the type of lymphoma, secondary renal involvement was seen in 48% of patients in a large autopsy series of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Kandel et al. Cancer 60:386–91, 1987). Generally, the lymphoma is clinically silent; however, in a minority of patients, the degree of lymphomatous infiltration may compromise renal function, leading to acute renal failure. Renal involvement is most common in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with only rare cases of T-cell lymphoma reported in the literature. Primary renal lymphoma appears to be extremely rare, and accounts for approximately 0.7% of all extranodal lymphomas in North America and 0.1% in Japan (Yasunaga et al. J Surg Oncol 64:207–11, 1997; Freeman et al. Cancer 29:252–60, 1972; Aozasa et al. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol 21:487–92, 1985). A large subset (>40%) have bilateral presentation.