Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma to the Eye and Adnexae: A Report of Three Cases and Review of the Literature

Three cases of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to the ocular structures are presented. Each of these tumors clinically simulated a more common ocular entity, thus causing diagnostic difficulty. The first patient had a metastatic tumor to the eyelid that clinically simulated a large chalazion. The second patient had a choroidal tumor with clinical features and ancillary studies strongly suggestive of a primary choroidal melanoma. The third patient presented with unilateral proptosis secondary to an orbital mass that was clinically believed to be a cavernous hemangioma of the orbit. In each case, there was a long interval between the initial diagnosis (15 months, 9 years, and 15 years respectively), and the ocular metastasis, which represented the first sign of metastatic disease.