Refractory sciatica could be a sign of malignancy: A unique case presentation

t Renal cell carcinoma is one of the highly aggressive tumors and notorious for late presentations. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Renal cell carcinoma is known for rare metastatic sites. In clinical practice, it is often important not to anchor to a particular diagnosis but rather revisit and revaluate entire history and clinical examination. We describe a case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma that was initially treated as sciatica and later found to have advanced debilitating malignancy. Internal medicine physicians should be able to recognize one of the rare metastatic sites of renal cell carcinoma and understand the importance of imaging studies if patient has persisting sciatica symptoms without improvement.