Benign approach to a malignant orbital tumor: metastatic renal cell carcinoma

A well-circumscribed, pseudoencapsulated benign-appearing lesion in the retrobulbar orbit of a 50-year-old man was found to be a metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The patient had a nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma 15 years before, and had developed four other isolated metastases over the preceding 8 years. He had a further distant metastasis 1 year later, but is living and well 4 years after excision of the orbital tumor. Metastatic renal cell carcinoma of the orbit may have very benign characteristics, both clinically and radiographically, and can often be managed effectively by local excision with prolonged survival.