Ciliated hepatic foregut cyst in a patient with renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Ciliated hepatic foregut cyst is a rare condition almost always found incidentally on a computerized tomography scan or at autopsy. Rarely, portal vein compression can be a presenting finding. The cysts are usually unilocular and occur with greater frequency in males. There is a predilection for the left lobe. The cysts average 3 cm in size. CASE PRESENTATION: We present in this case report a ciliated hepatic foregut cyst found incidentally in the setting of renal carcinoma. The patient was a man known to have a large renal mass, assumed to be cancer, and a liver mass suspicious for metastatic disease. This liver mass was cystic and upon further analysis showed ciliated epithelial lining. We describe the gross and histological appearance, as well as a brief discussion of ciliated hepatic foregut cysts. CONCLUSION: We report the first case of a patient with coexisting renal cell carcinoma and a ciliated hepatic foregut cyst. While this may represent a coincidental finding, a possibility of a neoplastic or non-neoplastic disorder associated with ciliated hepatic foregut cysts can not be completely ruled out.