Renal cell carcinoma--a great mimicker

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) usually remains clinically silent posing a great challenge to early diagnosis. The classic triad of flank pain, hematuria, and flank mass is uncommon and presents in only 10% of cases. RCC is frequently associated with various paraneoplastic syndromes. We report a case of an elderly female with sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma presenting with acute pancreatitis (paraneoplastic phenomenon), and provide a brief review of the literature. The diagnosis is established on the basis of radiological findings and histopathology.