By:  Lynn McCain

Members of the University of Michigan Department of Pathology and Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, in collaboration with the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium, recently published a large study on clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs), which represent about 75% of the RCC cases and account for the most RCC-associated deaths. This study set out to create a comprehensive profile of ccRCC, combining histologic and molecular profiles. By analyzing both the microscopic cell structures and the genetic makeup of the cells, these researchers discovered significant intratumoral heterogeneity in 90% of ccRCCs. This indicates that ccRCCs originate from multiple tumor cell lines, called tumor subclones, that may become metastatic and could independently influence response to therapies. Through this study, the team was able to molecularly stratify aggressive histopathic subtypes, which may lead to more effective treatment strategies for patients and improved survival.

This significant study was reviewed at Proteomics Cancer and published in Cancer Cell.

The graphical abstract of this publication provides a visual overview of the research study.

Full Citation:

Yize Li, Tung-Shing M. Lih, Saravana M. Dhanasekaran, …Hui Zhang, Li Ding, Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium. Histopathologic and proteogenomic heterogeneity reveals features of clear cell renal cell carcinoma aggressiveness. Cancer Cell 2022: 41(1-25). https://doi.org/10.1016/jccell.2022.12.001