Renal Cell Carcinoma Presenting as an Isolated Eyelid Metastasis

Abstract

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has a propensity to metastasize with the most common sites of metastasis being the lungs and bones. Cutaneous metastasis of RCC to the eyelid is exceedingly rare, with only six cases reported in the past decade. We are reporting a case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) that presented with a painless eyelid mass. Case Presentation: We describe a case of a 66-year-old man with a history of chronic kidney disease stage III presenting with a rapidly growing left lower eyelid lesion thought to be a capillary hemangioma. Biopsy revealed polygonal clear cells with small central nuclei with thin-walled vasculature and strong immunostaining with PAX8 consistent with mRCC, clear cell type. Subsequent abdominal CT scan revealed a 5.1 × 4.7 × 4.3 cm heterogeneously enhancing mass with central necrosis in the upper pole of the left kidney. The patient was treated with excision of the eyelid lesion followed by robotic partial nephrectomy of the primary tumor. Follow-up CT scan at 3 and 6 months showed no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion: Isolated eyelid metastasis is an extremely rare form of presentation of mRCC. Interestingly, that patient did not have any other site of metastasis. Cytoreductive partial nephrectomy has been previously reported to be oncologically safe in selected patients.