Isolated Gallbladder Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Isolated gallbladder metastasis from renal cell carcinoma is a very rare clinical entity with a significant male predominance. Until now, only 22 cases have been reported in the medical literature. Most cases occurred after very prolonged disease-free intervals. We report a case of metachronous isolated gallbladder metastasis of 15 mm size in a 72 yr old gentleman, 12 years after subtotal nephrectomy of the upper pole of the right kidney for clear cell renal cell carcinoma. At the time of diagnosis, the patient suffered from concurrent aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which was treated aggressively, including autologous bone marrow transplantation. Gallbladder resection was performed after treatment of the hematological malignancy. Small polypoid structures in the gallbladder of patients with antecedents of renal cell carcinoma should prompt surgical resection even if the size in ultrasound does not reach internationally accepted intervention thresholds for benign gall bladder polyps.

Gallbladder metastasis of renal cell carcinoma presenting as a hypervascular polypoid lesion: case report of two cases with immunohistochemical analysis

“…In the present study, we used immunohistochemical analysis to distinguish between primary gallbladder cancer and metastasis of RCC. In general, primary gallbladder carcinoma consistently shows positive staining for CK7, EMA, and CEA, but is negative for CA9 and vimentin [9][10][11]. On the contrary, metastatic clear cell RCC shows the opposite staining pattern [12].…”