Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Renal cell carcinoma uvula metastasis leading to airway compromise: an unusual site
  1. Jennifer Wallace1,
  2. Edgardo Abelardo1,2,
  3. Kannan Ramachandran1 and
  4. Vinod Prabhu1
  1. 1Otolaryngology, Glangwili General Hospital, Carmarthen, UK
  2. 2Institute of Life Sciences, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK
  1. Correspondence to Jennifer Wallace; Jennifer.wallace1{at}nhs.net

Abstract

We present a case report of a gentleman presenting with a globular lesion arising from his uvula. Although elective admission was planned, he presented with airway compromise, and emergency excision was required. The patient had a background of metastatic clear cell renal carcinoma; histology confirmed the uvula lesion as a further secondary deposit. Renal cell carcinoma has a recognised metastatic propensity, but spread to the uvula is rare, with only two previously described cases in the literature. This case is notable for the unusual location of the metastasis, as well as the rapid progression of symptoms, which threatened the airway and necessitated urgent surgical intervention.

  • Urological cancer
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Pathology
  • Otolaryngology / ENT

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

Footnotes

  • Contributors JW can confirm that all four named authors made a significant contribution to the conception and drafting of the submitted case. VP was the lead consultant and initiated the project. EA and KR were involved in the clinical management of the patient and provided the information for the case report. JW was responsible for the initial draft, which was then critically reviewed and finally approved by VP, EA and KR. All four authors agreed to be accountable for accuracy and integrity of the final work.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.