Pauci-immune ANCA-positive crescentic glomerulonephritis associated with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung.

A 66-year-old woman developed rapidly progressive renal failure several days after she was diagnosed with non-small cell carcinoma of the lung. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody test performed as an indirect immunofluorescence assay was positive with a perinuclear pattern of staining (pANCA). The patient did not improve with hemodialysis treatment and died on the second day after admission to the hospital. A complete autopsy was performed and showed metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung and pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis. A literature search showed only 7 previously reported cases of malignant tumors associated with ANCA-positive pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis. The clinicopathologic findings of the current and all previously reported cases and possible relationship between ANCA-positive glomerulonephritis and malignancy are discussed.