Bone Marrow Metastasis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Study

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most frequently reported renal cell neoplasm, which commonly metastasizes to the lungs, bones, lymph nodes, liver, adrenal gland and/or brain. It is usually diagnosed as an incidental finding on radiological imaging, which can further be confirmed by histological examination of the neoplastic tissue. Bone marrow metastasis of renal cell tumors is a rare event and very few cases have been reported. Here we report an unusual case of a 68-year-male who presented with lytic bone lesions on imaging. This raised the suspicion of a bone marrow involvement by a hematolymphoid malignancy or metastatic disease and a bone marrow biopsy was performed. Incidentally, the biopsy revealed infiltration of bone marrow by clear cell RCC. The patient was referred to the oncology clinic where further workup was done which revealed a primary renal tumor.