Lin Xiaoying, Lin Yucheng, Tang Lingpeng, Hu Ting, Wu Songsong
Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
Department of Ultrasonography, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, China.
Front Oncol. 2025 Aug 7;15:1587714. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1587714. eCollection 2025.
To analyze the echo intensity values, conventional ultrasound features, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) characteristics of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC), aiming to provide a valuable reference for the non-invasive clinical diagnosis of chRCC.
This retrospective study included 52 patients with pathologically proven chRCC at Fujian Provincial Hospital between June 2010 and January 2024, all of whom underwent ultrasound examinations prior to treatment. Two ultrasound specialists assessed the imaging features of each tumor, and 3D Slicer software was utilized to measure the echo intensity values of the renal cortex, renal mass, and renal sinus from the same ultrasound scan plane.
51.9% of the patients included in this study were male, with an average age of 52.8 years. Quantitative echo intensity measurements showed that only 23.1% (12/52) of the tumors had lower echo intensity compared to the renal cortex, whereas 75.0% (39/52) had values between those of the renal cortex and renal sinus. The median tumor-to-renal cortex echo intensity ratio was 1.18, with the first and third quartiles (Q1, Q3) being 1.01 and 1.78, respectively. Conventional ultrasound analysis revealed that 80.8% (42/52) of the tumors exhibited a regular shape, while 78.9% (41/52) were completely or predominantly solid. In CEUS, 48.4% (15/31) of the tumors exhibited slow wash-in, while 77.4% (24/31) showed fast wash-out. Furthermore, 71.0% (22/31) demonstrated homogeneous peak enhancement, and 61.3% (19/31) displayed perilesional rim-like enhancement (PRE).
The combination of conventional ultrasound features and CEUS characteristics of chRCC with quantitative echo intensity analysis enhances diagnostic objectivity and holds promise for non-invasive preoperative differentiation of RCC subtypes.
分析嫌色肾细胞癌（chRCC）的回声强度值、传统超声特征及超声造影（CEUS）特点，旨在为chRCC的无创临床诊断提供有价值的参考。
本回顾性研究纳入了2010年6月至2024年1月间在福建省立医院经病理证实为chRCC的52例患者，所有患者在治疗前均接受了超声检查。两名超声专家评估了每个肿瘤的影像特征，并使用3D Slicer软件从同一超声扫描平面测量肾皮质、肾肿块和肾窦的回声强度值。
本研究纳入的患者中51.9%为男性，平均年龄52.8岁。定量回声强度测量显示，仅23.1%（12/52）的肿瘤回声强度低于肾皮质，而75.0%（39/52）的肿瘤回声强度值介于肾皮质和肾窦之间。肿瘤与肾皮质回声强度比值的中位数为1.18，第一和第三四分位数（Q1、Q¬3）分别为1.01和1.78。传统超声分析显示，80.8%（42/52）的肿瘤形态规则，78.9%（41/52）为完全实性或主要为实性。在CEUS中，48.4%（15/31）的肿瘤表现为缓慢增强，77.4%（24/31）表现为快速消退。此外，71.0%（22/31）表现为均匀性峰值增强，61.3%（19/31）表现为病灶周围环状增强（PRE）。
chRCC的传统超声特征与CEUS特点相结合，并进行定量回声强度分析，可提高诊断的客观性，有望对肾细胞癌亚型进行无创术前鉴别。
