INTRODUCTION
Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 3% of all adult cancers and 85% of all kidney tumors making it the most common renal malignancy [1]. With an incidence rate of 14.5 per 100,000, RCC is the seventh most common solid cancer and comprises 3-5% of all adult malignancies[1, 2]. It has a high recurrence rate of 93% in the first five years after nephrectomy[3]. Lungs are the most common site for distant metastasis (50-60%). The median time to recurrence is 15-18 months after nephrectomy. Eighty-five percent of the relapse cases occur within 3 years of nephrectomy[4].
Here we report a rare case of RCC that presented with lung metastasis 16 years after nephrectomy. Based on our literature review, we found only ten reported cases with intervals longer than in our case between nephrectomy for RCC and lung metastasis: 17 years [5], 19 years[6], six cases with 20-28 years intervals [7], 31 years[8], and 37 years[9].