Metastatic renal cell carcinoma initially presenting as a unilateral breast lump

Abstract

Breast metastasis from primary renal cell carcinoma is a rare entity and infrequently reported in the literature. We present a case of a 65-year-old lady who presented to breast clinic with a 4-month history of rapidly growing right sided breast lump. She previously had a left mastectomy for breast cancer and a hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. Radiological evaluation with mammography and ultrasound revealed a large heterogeneous right breast lump with prominent vascularity which was biopsied. Histopathological and immunohistochemical features were not supportive of a primary breast carcinoma and favored metastasis from a renal tumor. The patient was unfortunately admitted to hospital due to increasing confusion and neurological symptoms and underwent whole-body cross-sectional CT imaging which demonstrated a giant tumor originating from the right kidney with associated intrathoracic, breast and intracranial metastasis. She was diagnosed with eosinophilic variant metastatic renal cell carcinoma. This case highlights the importance of considering alternative diagnoses to primary breast carcinoma in the context of an initial presentation of a unilateral breast lump.

Breast metastases from primary tumor of the urinary tract: case series

“…Radiologically, these are circumscribed masses on mammography and hypoechoic masses on ultrasound with a predilection for the upper outer quadrant of the breast, as observed in our series. Calcifications and spiculation are rarely present, unlike primary breast carcinomas [ 7–9 ].…”

Skeletal Muscle Metastasis From Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Series and Literature Review

“…Kidney cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the urology system, accounting for ∼3% of all adult malignant tumors worldwide (1), and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 80% of all kidney cancers (2), with laparoscopic resection as the main treatment, followed by immunotherapy or targeted therapy (3)(4)(5). However, tumor metastasis is still a conundrum, as it determines the treatment strategy and overall prognosis on patients with RCC (6).…”