Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma With Multimodal Imaging Features: A Case Report

Introduction: Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) is a rare renal cell carcinoma subtype with nonspecific imaging features, making preoperative diagnosis challenging. We present a pathologically confirmed case highlighting its multimodal imaging characteristics. Methods: A 51-year-old woman with an incidentally detected left renal mass underwent contrast-enhanced CT, MRI, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), ultrasound-guided biopsy and subsequent surgical resection with histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation. Results: CT and MRI demonstrated a solid left renal mass with enhancement persistently lower than that of the renal cortex. CEUS showed delayed iso-enhancement followed by rapid washout, consistent with a slow wash-in and fast wash-out pattern. Biopsy and postoperative histopathology with immunohistochemistry confirmed chRCC. Discussion: The concordant hypovascular findings across CEUS, CT and MRI supported suspicion of a non-clear cell RCC subtype. CEUS provided complementary real-time information on tumour perfusion. Conclusion: Combining CEUS with CT and MRI may improve the preoperative characterisation of renal masses and diagnostic confidence in suspected chRCC.