Renal metastases from carcinoma of the lung

Five cases of clinically manifest solitary and bilateral renal lesions metastatic from the lung are presented. These cases are unusual in that renal metastases are usually silent lesions discovered at autopsy. Review of the autopsy data from this hospital identified renal metastases in 19% of patients who died from carcinoma of the lung. This incidence parallels that of other series. A solid renal lesion which is identified in a patient with a history of pulmonary carcinoma should raise the suspicion of renal metastases, especially if computed tomography of the mass demonstrates relative homogeneity and minimal enhancement. More frequent use of the abdominal CT scan in staging patients with lung cancer will render metastatic carcinoma from lung to kidney a more frequent ante mortem diagnosis.