Single lung metastasis of urothelial carcinoma can be cured by surgical resection with long-term survival

Abstract

Introduction: Metastatic urothelial carcinoma is unlikely to be cured. Case Report: We present a case of urothelial carcinoma (UC) with lung metastasis which was cured after resection. A 57-year-old male who was found to have a mass in the right renal pelvis involving the right ureter and urinary bladder. Biopsies from the renal mass and the bladder showed papillary UC with no invasion to the lamina propria (pTa). He underwent a right radical nephroureterectomy, pelvic lymphadenectomy, and cystoprostatectomy with ileal loop conduit urinary diversion. A growing metastatic mass in the upper lobe of the left lung was found five years later. It was resected. On follow-up, he has no evidence of metastasis four years after surgery. Conclusion: Pulmonary metastasis from urothelial origin can have cavitary appearance on computed tomography (CT) and can happen after more than five years of primary tumor resection. Long-term follow-up is necessary for detection of late metastasis that can be resected if solitary pulmonary with possible long-term survival.