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CASE REPORT article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Genitourinary Oncology
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1473211
This article is part of the Research Topic Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Strategies for Oral and Head and Neck Cancers View all articles

Case report: tongue metastasis as an initial sign of clear cell renal cell carcinoma and its prognosis

Provisionally accepted
Shuo Liu Shuo Liu 1Hongyun Liu Hongyun Liu 2Bowen Weng Bowen Weng 3Sichuan Hou Sichuan Hou 3*
  • 1 School of Clinical Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong Province, China
  • 2 Department of Pathology, the East Campus of Qingdao Municipal Hospital, 266071, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
  • 3 Department of Urology, the East Campus of Qingdao Municipal Hospital, 266071, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent and lethal subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), characterized by a poor prognosis and a high likelihood of distant metastasis. Nonetheless, metastasis of ccRCC to the tongue remains rare. Diagnosing and planning treatment for patients who initially present with tongue metastasis can be particularly challenging, as few cases have been reported in the literature. We present a case of a 62-year-old male who exhibited a painful lump on the right anterior border of his tongue. Histological examination revealed lobulated and nested epithelial cell clusters with moderate dysplasia and frequent mitotic figures within the lamina propria.Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for vimentin, CD10, PAX-8, and EMA, but negativity for PAX-2, calponin, S-100 protein, PAS-D, P63, P40, and CK7.confirming the diagnosis of ccRCC metastasis to the tongue. After comprehensive evaluation and multi-disciplinary team consultation, the patient underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN), metastasectomy, and targeted therapy. According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) Version 1.1, the patient maintained stable disease (SD) during systemic treatment. Unfortunately, treatment was discontinued due to adverse drug reactions, and the patient was transitioned to palliative care. His disease progressed to progressive disease (PD), and he ultimately succumbed to systemic infection, with a progression-free survival (PFS) of approximately 15 months. This case highlights the urgent need for improved therapeutic strategies to manage symptoms and prolong survival in patients with this rare metastatic presentation.

    Keywords: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma, metastasis, Tongue, cytoreductive nephrectomy, Metastasectomy, targeted therapy, Immunotherapy

    Received: 30 Jul 2024; Accepted: 18 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Liu, Weng and Hou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sichuan Hou, Department of Urology, the East Campus of Qingdao Municipal Hospital, 266071, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China

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