A Case of a Recurrent Renal Cell Carcinoma 22 Years After Nephrectomy That Was Definitively Diagnosed as Transbronchial Biopsy

Abstract

Background. Endobronchial metastasis (EM) of extrathoracic malignancy is rare. Case. We herein report a case of EM of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a 68-year-old man. The patient has a history of left nephrectomy due to clear cell RCC 22 years prior. He presented with bloody sputa, dysbasia, anesthesia of the limbs, and pain in the left shoulder joint. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a tumor mass in the lower lobe of the right lung, as well as osteolytic signs of the cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, and bilateral ribs. The patient was referred to our hospital for a closer examination and treatment of disseminated tumors and spinal cord compression due to the vertebral lesions. Bronchoscopy showed a tumor in the right B¹⁰. A transbronchial biopsy revealed EM of clear cell RCC. Conclusion. The case presented here illustrates that relapse of renal cancer can occur after a long-term disease-free period of over 20 years and suggests that patients with RCC should be carefully monitored for relapse.