Mediastinal Metastasis 10 Years after Primary Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Study and Critical Review

Late recurrence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), arbitrarily defined as >10 years post-nephrectomy, is rare. The incidence of late recurrence of metastatic RCC is 11% in patients surviving for 10 years after the initial diagnosis. Here, we reviewed 43 reports comprising 467 cases. Metastasis occurs between a few months and 45 years. We report a new case with a 10-year interval to metastasis. The patient is a seventy-four-year-old female from Iraq. She had a cholecystectomy and then a right radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma in 2006. RCC is the most common renal malignancy (approximately 90% of cases) with high metastatic potential. We offered adjuvant treatment because of the patient’s poor general condition and treatment was well tolerated. Moreover, RCC patients require long-term follow-up, to assist in early detection of metastasis and early treatment.