Late pulmonary metastasis of renal cell carcinoma resected 25 years after nephrectomy

Abstract

A 50-year-old male underwent a left nephrectomy for clear cell type renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in February 1978. A right pulmonary metastasis was resected in February 1994. At that time, chest computed tomography revealed the presence of three small nodules in the left lung, but these were followed up as inflammatory lesions. In January 2002, a right pleural metastasis, which showed rapid growth, was detected and it was resected in June of the same year. A gradual growth was observed in the left lung nodules, and the patient underwent wedge resection of the left lung in March 2003, 25 years after nephrectomy. These nodules were diagnosed as metastatic RCC. Currently, the patient is doing well with no signs of recurrence, 8 months after the third metastasectomy. © 2004 Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research.