Asymptomatic cerebellopontine angle and lateral ventricle metastases from renal cell carcinoma: case report and literature review

Tumors rarely metastasize to the cerebellopontine angle. We report the first instance of simultaneous metastasis of renal cell carcinoma to the cerebellopontine angle and the lateral ventricle. A 51-year-old man presented with anemia and fatigue owing to stomach metastases from renal cell carcinoma 8 years after undergoing partial left nephrectomy for grade II clear cell renal carcinoma and radical right nephrectomy for grade III clear cell renal carcinoma. He also suffered metastases to the lung, both adrenal glands, the L-3 vertebra, and the brain (asymptomatic, but revealed by magnetic resonance imaging): a 1-cm ( maximum diameter) mass in the left medullary cistern and a 2-cm ( maximum diameter) mass in the right lateral ventricle trigone. Both brain lesions were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery, followed by gross-total resection of the right trigonal mass 7 months later. Both tumors shrank significantly, but the patient died from progressive systemic cancer 1 year after diagnosis of brain metastasis.