Paraneoplastic fibrillary glomerulonephritis associated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: When diagnosis of a rare kidney disease leads to successful hepatic cancer treatment

Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol. 2017 Feb;41(1):e8-e11. doi: 10.1016/j.clinre.2016.07.002. Epub 2016 Aug 16.

Abstract

A 50-year-old man presented with nephrotic syndrome. Electron microscopy analysis of a kidney biopsy specimen showed fibrillary glomerulonephritis, a rare glomerular disease, while histological analysis of a liver tumor biopsy confirmed an intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The paraneoplastic nature of fibrillary glomerulonephritis is debated but after curative treatment of the hepatic nodule, remission of nephrotic syndrome was confirmed at 6-, 12- and 24-months follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a paraneoplastic fibrillary glomerulonephritis associated with a cholangiocarcinoma, supported by complete remission achieved following cancer treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / complications
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / therapy
  • Cholangiocarcinoma / complications
  • Cholangiocarcinoma / diagnosis*
  • Cholangiocarcinoma / therapy
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Glomerulonephritis / complications
  • Glomerulonephritis / diagnosis*
  • Glomerulonephritis / mortality
  • Glomerulonephritis / therapy
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / complications
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / diagnosis*
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / mortality
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / therapy