Bellini duct carcinoma, also known as collecting duct carcinoma, is one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of kidney cancer, accounting for about 1% of renal tumors and often presenting at an advanced stage. Despite its clinical severity, it remains a neglected disease with limited evidence and few dedicated research efforts.
A multicenter translational project led by Antonio David Lázaro Sánchez at Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca in Murcia and co-led by Javier David Benítez-Fuentes is now open to collaboration through ESMO Research MATCH, ESMO’s platform for projects seeking collaborators. The collaboration currently includes Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Hospital General Universitario Santa Lucía in Cartagena and Hospital General Universitario de Elche.
The project aims to improve the clinical and molecular characterization of Bellini duct carcinoma by combining clinical data with centralized translational analyses. The group is particularly interested in centers able to contribute clinical data and FFPE tumor tissue samples. The rationale comes from both clinical need and emerging signals. The group recently completed a systematic review of immunotherapy in Bellini duct carcinoma (pending publication) and found that, although responses are uncommon, a subset of patients can achieve durable benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. In parallel, they carried out genomic and immunohistochemical characterization of five Bellini tumors. Three showed high tumor mutational burden, while all five harbored recurrent CDKN2A/CDKN2B loss and loss in the HLA class I region, suggesting a possible combination of immunogenicity and immune escape.
Antonio David Lázaro Sánchez, MD, PhD – Medical Oncologist, Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, Murcia.
The lead of the project, Antonio-David Lázaro-Sánchez, notes:
“Bellini duct carcinoma is a rare disease that has been left behind by many of the advances seen in kidney cancer. By bringing together cases, tissue, and clinical data across centers, we hope to better understand its biology and help build a stronger basis for biomarker-driven research.”
Interested collaborators can find the project on ESMO Research MATCH and contact the team through the platform.