An unusual presentation of non-small cell lung carcinoma

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy in the Western world and usually presents with respiratory symptoms. The diagnosis of lung cancer is normally made by chest radiography followed by histological confirmation with either radiological or endoscopically guided biopsies. Very rarely, imaging does not help with the initial diagnosis. Haematuria is a common presentation and generally requires urological follow-up with radiological and cystoscopic examination. The differential diagnosis includes urothelial and renal cancers. We present the case of a patient who initially presented to urologists with haematuria and was thought to have a urological malignancy. Contrast enhanced computerised tomography (CT) of both the chest and abdomen after initial endoscopic examination was non-diagnostic. It was only laparoscopic removal of enlarged para-aortic lymph nodes which ultimately provided the diagnosis of non-small cell lung carcinoma.