Complete remission of renal cell carcinoma with lung carcinomatous lymphangiosis after primary therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors followed by partial nephrectomy for surgical consolidation

Abstract

Introduction Cytoreductive nephrectomy has been used in combination with systemic therapy for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, although its efficacy in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors remains controversial. Case presentation A 57‐year‐old woman was diagnosed with left renal cell carcinoma and lung carcinomatous lymphangiosis (cT3aN0M1). After receiving combined immunotherapy, she achieved complete response for the lung metastases and partial response for the primary tumor. After five months of systemic therapy, she underwent partial nephrectomy to remove the primary tumor, followed by eight courses of nivolumab monotherapy. One year postoperatively, she remained recurrence‐free. Conclusion Cytoreductive partial nephrectomy for surgical consolidation may be a treatment option for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Keywords

• carcinomatous lymphangiosis
• cytoreductive nephrectomy
• immune checkpoint inhibitor
• metastatic renal cell carcinoma
• robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy