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World J Clin Oncol. Sep 24, 2026; 17(9): 122878
Published online Sep 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.122878
Published online Sep 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.122878
Tubulocystic renal cell carcinoma with aggressive behavior-insights from molecular profiling and single-cell analysis: A case report
Chong-Liang Zheng, Ze Wang, Gao-Lei Liu, Hai-Yang Xiao, Xiao-Du Xie, Zi-Qian Wang, Yao Zhang, Jun Zhang, Qiu-Li Liu, Wei-Hua Lan, Department of Urology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
Jun Jiang, Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Chong-Liang Zheng and Ze Wang.
Co-corresponding authors: Qiu-Li Liu and Wei-Hua Lan.
Author contributions: Zheng CL contributed to Formal analysis, methodology, visualization, writing-original draft; Wang Z contributed to formal analysis, methodology, writing-review and editing; Liu GL contributed to formal analysis, resources, investigation; Xiao HY, Xie XD, Wang ZQ, Zhang Y, Zhang J data curation; Jiang J contributed to supervision; Liu QL contributed to project administration, writing-review and editing; Lan WH contributed to project administration, supervision, writing-review and editing; Zheng CL and Wang Z have made crucial and indispensable contributions towards the completion of the project and thus qualified as the co-first authors of the paper; Liu QL and Lan WH played important and indispensable roles in the manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
Supported by Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project, No. 2026ZD0553703; and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82473441 and No. 82172807.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no financial or non-financial competing interests.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Wei-Hua Lan, Department of Urology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, No. 10 Changjiang Zhilu, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400042, China.
Received: May 9, 2026
Revised: July 21, 2026
Accepted: August 21, 2026
Published online: September 24, 2026
Processing time: 146 Days and 4.8 Hours
Revised: July 21, 2026
Accepted: August 21, 2026
Published online: September 24, 2026
Processing time: 146 Days and 4.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Tubulocystic renal cell carcinoma (TRCC) is generally considered an indolent malignancy. However, we report an exceptional aggressive case characterized by rapid recurrence and metastasis. Using next-generation sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified a germline missense mutation in fumarate hydratase and somatic alterations in AFF3, MDM2, and LRP1B. The recurrent tumor exhibited enhanced angiogenic activity and an immunosuppressive microenvironment enriched in naïve T cells and SPP1+ tumor-associated macrophages. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying aggressive TRCC and highlight potential therapeutic targets for future clinical management.