Solitary Facial Cutaneous Metastasis as the Primary Presentation of a Small Renal Cell Carcinoma

Bjurlin, Marc A.; Bhalani, Vishal; Jordan, Michael D.; Hollowell, Courtney M.P.

doi:10.1016/j.urology.2009.11.054

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Volume 76, Issue 6 , Pages 1377-1378,

Solitary Facial Cutaneous Metastasis as the Primary Presentation of a Small Renal Cell Carcinoma

Marc A. Bjurlin
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Cook County Health and Hospitals System, John H. Stroger, Jr Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois
Vishal Bhalani
- Department of Urology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Michael D. Jordan
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Cook County Health and Hospitals System, John H. Stroger, Jr Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois
Courtney M.P. Hollowell
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Cook County Health and Hospitals System, John H. Stroger, Jr Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois
- Reprint requests: Courtney M.P. Hollowell, M.D., F.A.C.S., Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Cook County Health and Hospitals System, John H. Stroger, Jr Hospital of Cook County, 1900 W. Polk St, Suite 465, Chicago, IL 60612

Received 10 October 2009; accepted 28 November 2009.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been well described for its frequency to metastasize. Cutaneous facial lesions as the primary presentation of RCC is, however, extremely rare. We present clinical, radiographic, and histologic images of a 40-year-old man who presented with a cutaneous facial lesion that was diagnosed as metastatic RCC after excisional biopsy. A subsequent computed tomography demonstrated a small mass (3.5 × 2.6 cm) in the midpole of the right kidney. Partial nephrectomy with histologic analysis confirmed RCC, clear cell type.