Renal pelvis carcinoma with renal vein or inferior vena cava involvement linked to early-onset lung metastasis based on CT scan diagnosis

Background/Aim: Renal pelvis cancer with invasion of the renal vein or inferior vena cava (IVC) carries a poor prognosis. The present study investigated whether early-onset lung metastasis in these patients contributes to their poor outcome. Patients and Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from hospitalized patients with metastatic renal pelvis urothelial cancer. The parameters used to estimate the risk of lung metastasis were based on computed tomographic (CT) scans. The parameters included sex, age (≤65 years or >65 years), site (right or left side), metastasis to para-aortic lymph nodes (LNs), suspicion of peritoneal spread, IVC involvement, and renal vein involvement. There were 71 cases including: 40 (56%) patients with lung metastasis (22 early-onset and 18 late-onset), 68 (96%) with suspicion of peritoneal spread, 38 (54%) with para-aortic LN metastasis, 10 (14%) with IVC involvement, and 53 (74%) with renal vein involvement. Sixty-four cases were evaluated to estimate the risk of lung metastasis. Results: Tumor involvement in the IVC (p=0.01) and in the renal vein (p<0.00001) were high risk factors for lung metastasis. Conclusion: Tumor involvement of the renal vein or IVC is linked to early-onset lung metastasis in renal pelvis cancer based on CT scan diagnosis.