Case reportMetastatic renal carcinoid: case report and review of the literature
Section snippets
Case report
A 64-year-old woman was referred to our department with a solid mass in the right kidney. The patient had sought medical attention for a cervical mass she first noted 2 months before admission. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed in search of a metastatic mass and revealed the renal lesion.
The patient’s medical history documented upper lobectomy of the left lung to remove a mass 2 years before the present admission. Histologically, it was a bronchial carcinoid tumor. The physical
Comment
Carcinoid tumors are thought to arise from neuroendocrine cells. Histologically, they stain positively to markers of neuroendocrine tissue, including neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin, and chromogranin. Carcinoid tumors secrete a variety of hormones and biogenic amines, including serotonin, corticotropin, histamine, dopamine, substance P, neurotensin, prostaglandins, and kallikrein.1 The release of serotonin and other vasoactive substances into the systemic circulation is thought to cause
Conclusions
We report on a solid lesion of the kidney found to be a bronchial carcinoid metastasis. Our review of published studies on bladder and renal carcinoid tumors yielded descriptions of only primary tumors. Carcinoid tumors, both primary and secondary, might be elusive and difficult to diagnose. Their detection is facilitated by the highly sensitive radiolabeled octreotide scan.
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