In this setting, considering that the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene (VHL) is mutated or silenced in more than 50% of sporadic renal cell carcinomas of the clear cell type [8-12], identification of a mutation in the VHL gene in DNA derived from the leftover cells in the needle used for FNAC might be helpful to establish the origin of the primitive tumor. The gene discussed is VHL; the disease is renal cell carcinoma.