The role of interventional pulmonology in endobronchial metastasis of renal cell carcinoma.

Although metastasis of extrapulmonary solid organ malignant tumors to the lungs is very common, endobronchial metastases are very rare. The most common extrapulmonary tumors that make endobronchial metastases are breast, kidney and colorectal carcinomas. In this study, we retrospectively examined the data of eleven renal cell carcinoma patients who underwent endobronchial metastases in an eight-year period. Ten of the patients were male and the mean age was 55 ± 1 (41-71) years. The most common symptom was cough (45.5%, n= 5), on the other hand 18.2% (n= 2) of the patients had no complaints. Right bronchial system, left bronchial system and tracheal distribution rates of endobronchial lesions were 45.5% (n= 5), 63.6% (n= 7) and 27.3% (n= 3) respectively. The mean time from diagnosis of primary renal cell carcinoma to endobronchial metastases was 47.5 ± 32 (5.2-100.5) months. A total of twenty two interventional procedures were performed. All except one patient underwent endobronchial treatment. Argon plasma coagulation was most commonly used as the endobronchial metastases option (n= 10, 100%). The mechanical resection (n= 6, 60%), laser (n= 5, 50%), cryoextraction (n= 5, 50%) and cryotherapy (n= 4, 40%) methods were used other than argon plasma coagulation. The mean survival time was 19.4 ± 15.7 (3.2-40.5) months after endobronchial metastases and 54.0 ± 40.4 (8.7-107.6) months after renal cell carcinoma diagnosis. Extrathoracic malignancy that most metastasis to the airways is renal cell carcinoma. Endobronchial treatment procedures for endobronchial metastasis of renal cell carcinoma can be performed with low complication rates.