Metastatic lesions: A diagnostic dilemma-retrospective study, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

BACKGROUND: Renal clear cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for about 3% of adult malignancies and about 90% of neoplasms of the kidney. It is most common in men aged 50 to 60 years old. RCC has different manifestations, including metastasis in uncommon sites and paraneoplastic syndromes. AIMS: To evaluate the clinicopathological pattern of RCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College, Srinagar. It was a retrospective study done over a period of 5 years, November 2009 to November 2014. RESULTS: The study was done to evaluate the clinicopathological pattern of 6 cases of RCC diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital. All patients were males, presenting with submandibular swellings without any other symptom. Radiological and histopathological examination proved the lesion as metastasis of renal cell carcinoma to the mandible. CONCLUSION: Being a rare presentation in the head and neck region, metastatic renal cell carcinoma needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis of submandibular swellings even in patients younger than 40 years.