肾细胞癌有侵入肾静脉的倾向，在这个已切除的包有脂肪组织的肾脏，白色的箭头指示肿瘤可侵入腔静脉内，甚至到心脏。但仍可以除去它们。肿瘤蔓延至腔静脉，压迫肾上腺静脉，导致了标本上方的肾上腺出血性梗死。肾细胞癌可以浸润穿过肾包膜。肾细胞癌可转移到其它部位。有近1/4的肾细胞癌首先发现的是转移部位的病变。
Renal cell carcinomas have a tendency to invade into the renal vein, as shown here at the white arrow in a resected kidney surrounded by adipose tissue. They may even crawl up the vena cava and into the heart, but even these can be removed! Here, the tumor extended up the vena cava and occluded the adrenal vein, leading to hemorrhagic adrenal infarction in the adrenal at the top of the specimen. Renal cell carcinomas may invade through the renal capsule. Renal cell carcinomas may metastasize to odd locations, and about a fourth of them first present as metastatic lesions.
