Ureteral metastasis from pulmonary adenocarcinoma: A case report and literature review

Thorac Cancer. 2021 Dec;12(23):3277-3280. doi: 10.1111/1759-7714.14172. Epub 2021 Oct 20.

Abstract

The occurrence of ureteral metastasis from distant primary tumors is uncommon, and appears to be especially rare when it originates from the lungs. In the case presented here, a patient with lumbago and left hydronephrosis was diagnosed with left ureteral metastasis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma after a CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy of the lung and retroperitoneal laparoscopic left nephroureterectomy. He accepted the targeted therapy because the lung tumor epidermal growth factor receptor mutation (exon19 deletion) was positive, and preoperative staging of lung adenocarcinoma was stage IVA. After an 8-month follow-up, he is still alive and well, with no local recurrence or distant metastases. The therapy outcome assessment is stable disease. Although rare, our case has demonstrated that pulmonary adenocarcinoma has the possibility of metastasizing to the ureter, a risk that should be considered in some lung cancer patients.

Keywords: pulmonary adenocarcinoma; targeted therapy; ureteral metastasis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acrylamides / therapeutic use
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung / drug therapy*
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung / pathology*
  • Adult
  • Aniline Compounds / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Male
  • Nephroureterectomy / methods*
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Ureteral Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Ureteral Neoplasms / surgery*

Substances

  • Acrylamides
  • Aniline Compounds
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • osimertinib