Renal cell carcinoma with a tumor thrombus in the ureter: A case report

Abstract

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCCs) is the most common malignancy of the kidney. When RCC progresses, it is known to form tumor thrombus in the renal vein and/or inferior vena cava. However, RCC does not normally form tumor thrombus in the ureter or renal pelvis. Case presentation. A 43-year-old man presented to our department for the treatment of a renal tumor with asymptomatic gross hematuria. In a dynamic CT study, contrast enhancement revealed a tumor suspected to be RCC, but atypical finding as a tumor thrombus that filled the renal pelvis and the whole ureter was also observed. Nephroureterectomy was performed, and the tumor was diagnosed histopathologically as RCC. Conclusion: We report here a very rare case of RCC with a tumor thrombus in the whole ureter. © 2011 Fujita et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.