Xie TH, Fu Y, Ha SN, Meng QX, Sun Q, Wang P. Endobronchial metastasis secondary to renal clear cell carcinoma: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2024; 12(23): 5416-5421 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i23.5416]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Qian Sun, MD, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, No. 212 East Yuhua Road, Baoding 071000, Hebei Province, China. hdfysq@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Oncology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Aug 16, 2024; 12(23): 5416-5421 Published online Aug 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i23.5416
Endobronchial metastasis secondary to renal clear cell carcinoma: A case report
Tian-Hao Xie, Yan Fu, Si-Ning Ha, Qing-Xu Meng, Qian Sun, Pan Wang
Tian-Hao Xie, Si-Ning Ha, Qing-Xu Meng, Qian Sun, Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding 071000, Hebei Province, China
Yan Fu, Department of Ophthalmology, Baoding First Central Hospital, Baoding 071000, Hebei Province, China
Pan Wang, Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding 071000, Hebei Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Qian Sun and Pan Wang.
Author contributions: Xie TH and Sun Q contributed to the drafting of the manuscript and revising the final draft; Fu Y, Ha SN, and Meng QX contributed to the acquisition of data and revising the final draft; Xie TH, Sun Q, and Wang P contributed to the investigation and interpretation of the data. All authors have read and approved the manuscript. Both Sun Q and Wang P played important and indispensable roles in the investigation, data interpretation, and manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors. Sun Q searched the literature, and revised and submitted the early version of the manuscript with the focus on the association between endobronchial metastasis and renal clear cell carcinoma. Wang P was instrumental and responsible for re-interpretation, a comprehensive literature search, and preparation and submission of the current version of the manuscript with a new focus on the mechanisms of endobronchial metastasis. This collaboration between Sun Q and Wang P was crucial for the publication of this manuscript and other manuscripts still in preparation.
Informed consent statement: All study participants provided informed written consent prior to study enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no competing interests.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qian Sun, MD, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, No. 212 East Yuhua Road, Baoding 071000, Hebei Province, China. hdfysq@163.com
Received: April 11, 2024 Revised: May 20, 2024 Accepted: June 11, 2024 Published online: August 16, 2024 Processing time: 85 Days and 7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Endobronchial metastases (EBMs) are tumours that metastasise from a malignant tumour outside the lungs to the central and subsegmental bronchi, and are visible under a bronchofibrescope. Most EBMs are formed by direct invasion or metastasis of intrathoracic malignant tumours, such as lung cancer, oesophageal cancer or mediastinum tumours. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), accounting for 2% to 3% of all tumours, is a common malignant tumour of the urinary system. Renal clear cell carcinoma (RCCC) constitutes the predominant pathological subtype of RCC, comprising approximately 70% to 80% of all RCC cases. RCCC can spread and metastasise through arterial, venous and lymphatic circulation to almost all organs of the body. Moreover, lung, bone, liver, brain and local recurrence are the most common metastatic neoplasms of RCCC. However, EBM from RCCC has a low complication rate and is often misdiagnosed as primary lung cancer.
CASE SUMMARY
A 71-year-old male patient who had undergone radical left nephrectomy 7 years prior due to RCCC was referred to our hospital due to a 1-mo history of productive cough. The results of an enhanced chest CT scan indicated the presence of a soft tissue nodule in the upper lobe of the left lung, and flexible bronchoscopy revealed a hypervascular lesion in the bronchus of the left lung's superior lobe. Therefore, the patient underwent thoracoscopic left superior lobe wedge resection, and pathology confirmed EBM from the RCCC.
CONCLUSION
EBM from RCCC has a low incidence and no characteristic clinical manifestations in the early stage. If a bronchial tumour is found in a patient with RCCC, the possibility of bronchial metastatic cancer should be considered.
Core Tip: Endobronchial metastases (EBMs) are tumours that metastasise from a malignant tumour outside the lungs to the central and subsegmental bronchi, and are visible under a bronchofibrescope. Renal clear cell carcinoma (RCCC) is a common malignant tumour of the urinary system. EBM from RCCC has a low complication rate and is often misdiagnosed as primary lung cancer. We report a case of post-operative EBM in a patient with RCCC who underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy 7 years ago. This suggested that if a bronchial tumour is found in a patient with RCCC, the possibility of EBM should be considered.
