[Renal cell carcinoma with contralateral adrenal metastasis: a case report]

A case of contralateral adrenal metastasis of renal cell carcinoma is reported. The patient was a 54-year-old male, who underwent a right radical transperitoneal nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma, and had been administered interferon alpha intramuscularly. Nine months after the operation computerized tomography revealed the presence of an adrenal mass on the left side, undetected at nephrectomy, which suggested that the renal cell carcinoma had metastasized. A left adrenalectomy was performed. Histologically, the mass was identical to metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. The patient was administered supplementary hydrocortisone and was well 3 months after the adrenalectomy with no evidence of recurrence or other metastasis. This is the 24th case of contralateral adrenal metastasis of renal cell carcinoma in the Japanese literature.