Renal cell carcinoma metastases in the mediastinum lymph node: case report and literature review

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignant lesion of the kidney, accounting for 90-95% of all renal cancers in adult. Approximately, 30% of patients present with metastatic disease at diagnosis, and one-third of the remainder will develop metastasis during follow-up. Presence of distant metastases at diagnosis is a strong independent predictor of poor survival in patients with RCC. RCC metastasizes by haematogeneous and lymphogeneous ways. Pulmonary metastases are common in patients with renal cell carcinoma and usually consist of multiple nodules of varying sizes that develop in both lung fields. In contrast, metastases to the supradiaphragmatic nodes but no pulmonary paranchymal metatases are rare. A 71-year-old male with renal cell carcinoma whom radical nefrectomy and postoperative radiotherapy was performed. After the treatment, computed tomography of the thorax showed the conglomerate lymph node enlargement in subcarinal region. Histology of this lesion was revealed renal cell carcinoma after the broncoscopic biopsy. The present case is discussed in light of the recent literature

Diagnostic delay in rare diseases

OBJECTIVE Post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially after complete resection, has long been an unresolved dilemma and debated among therapeutic disciplines. We aimed to evaluate the effects of different radiotherapy volumes and techniques on local-regional recurrence patterns and PORT results in patients with NSCLC. METHODS The results of 389 patients who underwent surgery and received PORT at 11 centers were analyzed retrospectively. The surgical margin was positive or closes in 100 (26%) patients. The PORT dose was a median of 50 Gy (36-60 Gy). Intensity-modulated RT methods were used in 68 (17.5%) patients. RESULTS The first recurrence of the patients who developed relapse, local recurrence was found in 77 (19.8%) patients, distant recurrence was found in 95 (24%) patients, and both recurrences was found in 30 (8%) patients. The median time to locoregional relapse was 14 months (1.84-59.7 months). Local-regional recurrence was not significantly higher in patients with positive surgical margins than in negative pa-tients (39% vs. 29%, p=0.1), but the dose administered to these patients was also higher. Mediastinal recurrence occurred in 28 (19%) patients who did not receive radiotherapy to the mediastinum; 25 of these recurrences (89%) were just near or outside the field. Cardiac events became 7% in all groups and did not change according to chosen mediastinal radiotherapy volume. CONCLUSION A clear description of the PORT volumes according to the localization of the primary tumor and the involved lymph nodes would be beneficial in terms of establishing the recurrence/toxicity balance better