Retrograde venous invasion causing vertebral metastases in renal cell carcinoma. 2001

R S Oeppen, and K Tung
Department of Clinical Radiology, Southampton University Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.

A case of renal cell carcinoma is presented with renal vein and inferior vena cava tumour/thrombus extension and vertebral metastases centred on the basivertebral veins at three contiguous levels in the low thoracic spine. MRI demonstrated tumour in the intervertebral veins, suggesting that the vertebral deposits were due to retrograde venous spread. To our knowledge, vertebral metastatic deposits due to retrograde venous spread in renal cell carcinoma have not been previously demonstrated directly on imaging. A review is given of the venous anatomy relevant to this mode of spread.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D009361 Neoplasm Invasiveness Ability of neoplasms to infiltrate and actively destroy surrounding tissue. Invasiveness, Neoplasm,Neoplasm Invasion,Invasion, Neoplasm
D012082 Renal Veins Short thick veins which return blood from the kidneys to the vena cava. Renal Vein,Vein, Renal,Veins, Renal
D002292 Carcinoma, Renal Cell A heterogeneous group of sporadic or hereditary carcinoma derived from cells of the KIDNEYS. There are several subtypes including the clear cells, the papillary, the chromophobe, the collecting duct, the spindle cells (sarcomatoid), or mixed cell-type carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma, Renal Cell,Carcinoma, Hypernephroid,Grawitz Tumor,Hypernephroma,Renal Carcinoma,Adenocarcinoma Of Kidney,Adenocarcinoma, Renal,Chromophil Renal Cell Carcinoma,Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma,Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma,Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma,Collecting Duct Carcinoma,Collecting Duct Carcinoma (Kidney),Collecting Duct Carcinoma of the Kidney,Nephroid Carcinoma,Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma,Renal Cell Cancer,Renal Cell Carcinoma,Renal Cell Carcinoma, Papillary,Renal Collecting Duct Carcinoma,Sarcomatoid Renal Cell Carcinoma,Adenocarcinoma Of Kidneys,Adenocarcinomas, Renal Cell,Cancer, Renal Cell,Carcinoma, Collecting Duct,Carcinoma, Collecting Duct (Kidney),Carcinoma, Nephroid,Carcinoma, Renal,Carcinomas, Collecting Duct,Carcinomas, Collecting Duct (Kidney),Carcinomas, Renal Cell,Collecting Duct Carcinomas,Collecting Duct Carcinomas (Kidney),Hypernephroid Carcinoma,Hypernephroid Carcinomas,Hypernephromas,Kidney, Adenocarcinoma Of,Nephroid Carcinomas,Renal Adenocarcinoma,Renal Adenocarcinomas,Renal Carcinomas,Renal Cell Adenocarcinoma,Renal Cell Adenocarcinomas,Renal Cell Cancers,Renal Cell Carcinomas,Tumor, Grawitz
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013125 Spinal Neoplasms New abnormal growth of tissue in the SPINE. Neoplasm, Spinal,Neoplasms, Spinal,Spinal Neoplasm
D013904 Thoracic Vertebrae A group of twelve VERTEBRAE connected to the ribs that support the upper trunk region. Vertebrae, Thoracic
D014682 Vena Cava, Inferior The venous trunk which receives blood from the lower extremities and from the pelvic and abdominal organs. Inferior Vena Cava,Inferior Vena Cavas,Vena Cavas, Inferior
D019043 Vascular Neoplasms Neoplasms located in the vasculature system, such as ARTERIES and VEINS. They are differentiated from neoplasms of vascular tissue (NEOPLASMS, VASCULAR TISSUE), such as ANGIOFIBROMA or HEMANGIOMA. Neoplasms, Vascular,Neoplasm, Vascular,Vascular Neoplasm

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