Kidney Week

Abstract: PUB202

Kidney Biopsy: The Diagnostic Axis in Onconephrology, an Ecuadorian Case Series

Session Information

• Publication Only

Category: Onconephrology

• 1600 Onconephrology

Authors

• Jimenez Acosta, Dario Xavier, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Dario Xavier Jimenez Acosta, MD, FASN

• Rincon-Choles, Hernan, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Hernan Rincon-Choles, MD, MS, MBA, FASN

• Urresta, Maria Elena, Oncoquito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Maria Elena Urresta, MD

• Silva, Santiago David, Sociedad de Lucha contra el Cancer del Ecuador, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador

Santiago David Silva, DrMed

• Silva, Alfonso, Hospital Axxis, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Alfonso Silva, MD

• Quinchuela, Jorge Oswaldo, Davita Ecuador, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Jorge Oswaldo Quinchuela, MD

• Osorio Chuquitarco, Washington Xavier, Hospital Metropolitano, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Washington Xavier Osorio Chuquitarco, MEd

• Portilla, Andrea, Hospital Metropolitano, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Andrea Portilla, MD

• Cadena, Jacqueline, Clinica San Francisco, Portoviejo, Manabi, Ecuador

Jacqueline Cadena, DrMed

• Jiménez, Fernando Stalin, Hospital Metropolitano, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Fernando Stalin Jiménez, MD

• Remache, Veronica Piedad, Hospital Metropolitano, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Veronica Piedad Remache

Group or Team Name

• OncoNephrology Committee of the Ecuadorian Society of Nephrology

Introduction

In the era of precision medicine, onconephrology has emerged as a critical subspecialty driven by improved cancer survival and the growing complexity of renal complications. Kidney biopsy remains the gold standard for differentiating etiologies and guiding specific therapies when the diagnosis cannot be established by non-invasive methods.

Case Description

A descriptive analysis of patterns of kidney injury in patients with cancer was performed, classified according to pathophysiological mechanisms and their correlation with histopathological findings. 21 Kidney biopsies were performed in Portoviejo and Quito, Ecuador, from March 2022 to March 2026. Samples were processed by an expert nephropathologist (VPROPath Anatomic Pathology). Five main categories of kidney damage were identified (Graphic 1)

Discussion

Kidney biopsy is essential for distinguishing between drug-induced nephrotoxicity and progression of pre-existing kidney disease. Accurate histopathological diagnosis enables critical therapeutic interventions, thereby avoiding premature discontinuation of life-saving cancer treatments.
Contemporary onconephrology requires detailed analysis integrating clinical presentation, temporal relationship to drug exposure, and histopathological findings. Diverse neoplasms and anticancer drugs can affect the kidney through diverse mechanisms, resulting in various glomerulopathies and tubulopathies. This makes a kidney biopsy essential for accurate diagnosis and timely management.
In this study, myeloma kidney was the most frequent diagnosis, identified through a kidney biopsy.

Acknowledgment

An acknowledgment to the expert group of the OncoNephrology Committee of the Ecuadorian Society of Nephrology.