Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Enigmatic Nasal Mass

Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma rarely presents in head and neck and is even rarer in the sinonasal region. However, a sinonasal metastatic mass is usually of RCC origin. These metastases may present prior to the renal symptoms or may appear after primary treatment. Report a 60-year lady with epistaxis due to metastatic RCC. Calculate total published cases of sino-nasal metastasis of RCC. Classify according to sequence of primary and metastatic presentation. A computer aided search of PubMed and Google scholar databases was done using pertinent combinations of the keywords “renal cell carcinoma”, “nose and paranasal sinus”, “metastasis”, “delayed metastasis” and “unusual presentation”, revealing 1350 articles. 38 relevant articles were included in the review. Our case presented with epistaxis 3 years after primary RCC. She had a vascular left sided nasal mass which was excised enblock. Immunohistochemistry confirmed metastatic RCC. She is on oral chemotherapy and asymptomatic 1 year post excision. Literature search revealed 116 such cases. 19 patients presented within 10 years of RCC while 7 more were delayed metastasis. 17 cases presented primarily with nasal symptoms with subsequent incidental renal mass. Chronology of presentation was unavailable in the rest 73 cases. We recommend to consider the diagnosis of sinonasal metastatic RCC in a patient presenting with epistaxis or nasal mass, particularly with a past history of RCC. Also, any person with known diagnosis of RCC should undergo regular ENT examination for early diagnosis of sinonasal metastasis.