Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the top six leading causes of death from cancer; it exhibits a strikingly uneven geographical distribution, resulting in focal endemic high-incidence areas in several countries [
1]. Although considerable advances in diagnosis, surgical techniques and chemoradiotherapy have been made, EC still remains one of the most lethal cancers and most patients die from its recurrence or metastasis, with a five-year survival rate as low as 16% in 2009 in the United States [
2]. In China, the situation is even worse [
3]. Although 50% to 70% of patients can be treated surgically with a chance of cure, half of the patients suffer from local recurrences or metastasis after complete resection. The most common sites of metastasis are the liver, lung, bone and adrenal glands [
4]. Metastases of esophageal carcinoma in the kidney are considered to be extremely rare, especially a unilateral renal metastasis [
5]. There are few cases that have been reported of solitary renal metastasis of an esophageal carcinoma [
6‐
12]. Herein, a case of solitary, unilateral renal metastasis in a patient after esophagectomy is reported (Table
1).
Table 1
Reported cases of metastatic renal tumor of esophageal cancer
| Male | 64 | Left | SCC | Nephrectomy | Unknown |
| Male | 65 | Right | SCC | Nephrectomy + Chemotherapy | 6+ |
| Male | 57 | Right | SCC | Nephrectomy | 3+ |
| Male | 57 | Right | SCC | Nephrectomy | 2 |
| Male | 61 | Left | SCC | Nephrectomy + Chemotherapy | 2 |
| Male | 74 | Right | SCC | Partial nephrectomy | Unknown |
| Male | 50 | Right | SCC | Nephrectomy + radiotherapy | 4 |
| Male | 62 | Left | SCC | Chemotherapy + irradiation + nephrectomy | Unknown |
| Male | 56 | Left | Epidermoid | Nephrectomy | 6 |
| Male | 62 | Left | Epidermoid | Nephrectomy | 2 |