Metástasis ureteral contralateral por tumor renal de células claras

Renal cell carcinoma represents 2-3% of all cancers and is the most frequent solid lesion of the kidney. Incidental diagnosis through imaging studies is approximately 50%, and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic. Management is based on radical surgical treatment and postoperative follow-up through imaging techniques is essential for detecting local or systemic recurrence.

A 60-year-old man had a past history of left radical nephrectomy due to renal tumor 10 years earlier. Clinical manifestation was painless, gross hematuria. CT-urography revealed right ureteropelvic ectasia with a lesion occupying the distal third of the ureter that produced a negative filling defect. Endoscopic revision, lesion excision, and adjuvant treatment based on the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sorafenib, were carried out.

This clinical case underlines the importance of strict follow-up in patients with renal tumors when there is no clear knowledge as to the metastatic behavior and predictable tumor dissemination routes in renal cell carcinoma.