Ipsilateral Staghorn Calculus with Contralateral Tumour of the Renal Pelvis in a 55-Year Old Man

Abstract

Introduction: Cancers of the renal pelvis have been linked with kidney and ureteral stones in several case reports. In the majority of these cases, the cancer occurred on the same side as the renal pelvis or ureteral stones. We report here, an unusual occurrence of a staghorn calculus in the right kidney and contralateral tumour of the left renal pelvis.

Case Report: A 55year old known hypertensive man was referred to our out-patient clinic on account of a year's history of recurrent right flank pain and a 6 month history of recurrent haematuria. Physical examination was unremarkable. Abdominal ultrasound scan findings were suggestive of bilateral renal stones. An abdominal CT scan revealed a staghorn calculus in the right renal pelvis and a discrete mass in the left kidney.

Discussion: The association between kidney and ureteral stones and cancers of the renal pelvis and ureter is thought to be due to chronic irritation as well as recurrent urinary tract infection caused by the presence of the stones within the urinary tract. Chronic irritation and infection may not completely explain the development of the tumour in the index patient since the tumour was located in the contralateral kidney from that in which the staghorn calculus was located.

Conclusion: This case report highlights the need to consider the possibility of a renal pelvis tumour being present in the contralateral kidney when evaluating patients presenting with kidney stones particularly staghorn calculi.