Single cerebral metastasis 3 and 19 years after primary renal cell carcinoma: case report and review of the literature.

Cerebral metastasis in general is associated with a relatively short survival time. However, brain deposits may occur rather late during follow up. Nine cases of solitary brain metastasis of renal cell carcinoma with a latency period of more than 10 years after nephrectomy have been reported in the literature so far. This is the first report of a case describing a second solitary brain metastasis which occurred 16 years after a first metastatic brain lesion. Complete microsurgical resection alone led to an excellent outcome in this particular case as the patient refused any adjuvant therapy at the same time. Regular nuclear morphology, a low mitotic index, and the absence of chromosomal abnormalities in tumour cells may be indicative for a relative benign clinical course.