Predicting the histology of small renal masses using preoperative dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Objective: To study whether magnetic resonance imaging can predict the histologic type of small renal cell carcinoma. Methods: Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 63 patients with computed tomography- or ultrasonography-suspected small (≤4 cm) renal cell carcinoma from February 2008 to February 2010. Percentage signal intensity change, tumor-to-cortex enhancement index during precontrast phase, corticomedullary phase, and nephrogenic phase were investigated. Results: Among the 60 patients, 42 were proven to have clear cell renal cell carcinoma and 18 patients were proven to have non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (10 patients with papillary renal cell carcinoma, 8 patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma). The percentage signal intensity change in the clear cell type was higher only in the corticomedullary phase (P =.002). The tumor-to-cortex enhancement index in the clear cell type was higher in the corticomedullary and nephrogenic phases (P =.007 and P =.041, respectively). The most valuable marker was percentage signal intensity change in the corticomedullary phase (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.85). The cut-off value of percentage signal intensity change in the corticomedullary phase was 173%, and the sensitivity and specificity were 81% and 87.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging could be useful for discriminating the clear cell type from non-clear cell type in small renal cell carcinoma with high sensitivity and specificity.