Mediastinal adenopathy and endobronchial involvement in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Mediastinal adenopathy and endobronchial metastases are sometimes the only radiological manifestation of metastatic disease from extrathoracic neoplasms. We report on four patients in whom hilar and paratracheal adenopathy (n = 3) and endobronchial involvement (n = 1) were the only intrathoracic manifestations of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Three of the patients had nephrectomies 9 months to 4 years before the appearance of intrathoracic disease; another patient presented with medastinal disease as the initial manifestation of renal cell carcinoma. If a patient with a history of renal cell carcinoma develops pulmonary hilar adenopathy, metastatic disease should be suspected and appropriate diagnostic measures should be taken.