Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma(RCC) usually have a dismal prognosis with a median survival duration of 12 months despite intensive systemic therapy of various modalities. The role of surgical removal of metastatic tumor is
controversial,
RCC usually shows predictable pattern of metastasis, preferentially to lung, lymph node, bone, liver and adrenal. It is rare for general surgeon to have a chance to see and operate the metastatic RCC.
We herein report two cases of RCC which produced metastases of odd pattern and were treated by surgical removal of the metastatic organ at the department of general surgery with good outcomes. One patient presented with RCC with metastasis to
gall
bladder, which was treated by radical nephrectomy and cholecystectomy. The other patient presented with thyroid mass, which was confirmed as metastatic RCC after thyroidectomy. He had history of surgery for metastatic RCC to skin, lung and
ethmoid
bone
sequentially every 2 years during past 9 years after nephrectomy.
The 2 cases suggest that RCC can produce metastases of very unusuall location, including gall bladder and thyroid and presentation long time after nephrectomy, and in which cases aggressive surgical removal of the metastatic tumor may be of
benefit.
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