Synchronous ipsilateral papillary renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma: A case report

Concurrence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and urothelial carcinoma (UC) in the same kidney is a rare phenomenon. It is critical to define this unusual disease to avoid a delay in diagnosis and improve the prognosis. The present study describes a case of a 71-year-old patient with synchronous ipsilateral RCC and UC of the renal pelvis and ureter. The patient presented with intermittent attacks of left loin pain with frank hematuria for 3 months and a weight loss of 5 kg over the same period of time. The patient had been a chronic heavy smoker for >45 years. Physical examination revealed stable vital signs; however, a mobile, non-tender mass was palpated in the left upper abdomen. A left nephroureterectomy with the removal of a bladder cuff was performed. Histopathological examination revealed a papillary RCC with a pathological stage of pT1N0Mx and a high-grade UC of the renal pelvis and ureter with a pathological stage of pT3-pN1-pMx. The postoperative recovery was good, and the patient was referred to an oncology center for further management. Previous reports have failed to identify definitive risk factors for the concurrence of RCC and UC. However, 24% of the patients in the various case reports in the literature were smokers. The most common presenting complaints included weight loss and painless hematuria. The concurrence of RCC and UC in the same kidney is a rare entity, and it frequently leads to a worse prognosis than the occurrence of RCC alone. Radical nephroureterectomy is the main line of treatment for patients with upper tract UC.