Transcription factor E3 renal cell carcinoma presenting as secondary hypertension

Abstract

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor family (transcription factor E3 or transcription factor EB) translocation renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) are rare neoplasms. These renal neoplasms can be either asymptomatic and incidentally discovered on imaging or symptomatic, with the most common presenting symptoms being hematuria, pain, and abdominal mass, or paraneoplastic event. In conventional RCCs, hypertension is considered a risk factor and a possible paraneoplastic event, whereas, in translocation RCCs, prior exposure to cytotoxic chemotherapy is the only known risk factor, and hypertension as an isolated associated paraneoplastic event has never been reported. Interestingly, hypertension as the only presenting symptom in RCC is extremely rare. We report a case of transcription factor E3 positive RCC in a young adult presenting only with hypertension that normalized after radical nephrectomy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of hypertension secondary to microphthalmia-associated transcription translocation RCC.