A Life-Threatening Metastasis of Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Endotracheal Metastasis

TL;DR

A rare case of kidney cancer spreading to the windpipe was successfully treated with a specialized bronchoscopy procedure, preventing life-threatening airway blockage.

Contribution

Reports a successful treatment of endotracheal metastasis from renal cell carcinoma using rigid bronchoscopy.

Findings

Endotracheal metastasis from renal cell carcinoma is rare but can cause life-threatening airway obstruction.

Rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia with jet ventilation effectively excised the metastasis.

The patient remained free of tracheal recurrence at one-year follow-up.

Abstract

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the urinary system, and nearly half of patients develop lung metastases at the time of diagnosis or during follow-up. Endotracheal metastases from renal cell carcinoma are exceedingly rare but may be life-threatening due to acute airway obstruction. In such cases, therapeutic interventions are primarily directed toward maintaining airway patency rather than achieving oncological control. Here, we report a case of endotracheal metastasis successfully excised using rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia with jet ventilation in a patient who had undergone nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma three years earlier. The patient remained recurrence-free in the trachea at one-year follow-up.

Figures