Solitary metastases from renal cell carcinoma: a review

Nineteen patients with solitary metastatic lesions from renal cell carcinoma, 5 synchronous and 14 metachronous, were seen at the Tata Memorial Hospital over a 7 year period between 1981 and 1987. The mean metastatic interval for the metachronous lesions was 31.2 months. The commonest sites of metastases were bone, lung, and liver. The solitary nature of the metastasis was confirmed by appropriate investigations. All patients underwent nephrectomy for the primary kidney lesion. The metastatic lesions were treated with intent of cure. Only 1 patient with synchronous metastasis survived for 2 years and none survived 5 years while in the metachronous metastasis group, the estimated overall survival was 50% at 2 years and 25% at 5 years. The patients with a long metastasis-free interval were found to have a better survival. The patients with liver metastasis did poorly as compared to those with metastases at other sites. The stage of the disease also had a bearing on the survival.