Helman Talia A, Imam Ahmad Saeed, Espino-Grosso Pedro, Patel Trushar
Department of Urology, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, Florida, USA.
Department of Urology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Urol Ann. 2022 Jan-Mar;14(1):89-92. doi: 10.4103/UA.UA_157_20. Epub 2022 Jan 20.
Right ventricular (RV) metastasis from an upper tract urothelial carcinoma without inferior vena cava or right atrial involvement is an extremely rare event which highlights the heterogeneity of this disease process. We report a case of a 43-year-old man presenting for long-standing hematuria and left flank pain. Computed tomography revealed a left renal mass with para-aortic lymphadenopathy, in addition to a potential mass in the RV. The mass involving the RV was confirmed on subsequent cardiac evaluation with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and echocardiography. After discussion in a multidisciplinary tumor board, the patient underwent a left nephrectomy, regional lymphadenectomy, and excision of metastatic RV tumor with bovine patch reconstruction. Final pathology reported invasive urothelial carcinoma in the left kidney with involvement of regional para-aortic lymph nodes and metastatic tumor in the RV (T4N3M1, AJCC 8 edition). The patient did well postoperatively and completed adjuvant Cisplatin-Gemcitabine systemic chemotherapy. This is an important addition to the literature as it highlights the aggressive and heterogeneous nature of urothelial carcinoma and the utility of cardiac MRI in surgical planning.