ArticleFrontiers in oncology2026
Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma masquerading as xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis: a case report.
Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) is a rare, highly aggressive malignancy that can closely mimic xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) on clinical, laboratory, and radiological grounds. While sRCC masquerading as XGP has been previously reported, existing literature lacks a structured analysis of the specific features that discriminate these entities and a practical framework for clinical decision-making. Case presentation: A 65-year-old female presented with a four-month history of anorexia and one week of postprandial abdominal distension. Contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated right renal enlargement with heterogeneous density, nephrolithiasis, and a bear-paw-like appearance, leading to an initial diagnosis of XGP. However, several features were inconsistent with typical XGP: persistently negative urine and blood cultures, an irregular solid component with heterogeneous arterial-phase enhancement, subtle renal vein irregularity suggestive of vascular invasion, progressive transfusion-requiring anemia, and persistent high fever despite 24 days of escalating broad-spectrum antibiotics (culminating in meropenem plus vancomycin). Repeat CT showed no radiological improvement. Right radical nephrectomy was performed on hospital day 31. Histopathology confirmed sRCC with lymphovascular invasion and a Ki-67 index of 50-55%. Despite initial recovery, the patient developed rapid multi-organ metastasis and succumbed to the disease. Conclusion: When a presumed renal infection is culture-negative, antibiotic-refractory, associated with progressive anemia, and radiologically non-resolving, malignancy should be suspected early. The presence of an irregular solid enhancing component and vascular involvement on CT are malignancy-specific red flags that should not be overlooked. A bear-paw-like appearance does not exclude RCC. Short-interval failure of antibiotic therapy (7-10 days) should trigger surgical exploration or tissue diagnosis rather than prolonged empirical treatment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.