Hypernephroma presenting as fever of unknown origin associated with elevated serum alkaline phosphatase levels

Transient hyperphosphatasaemia in association with acute infection in adults

The causes of raised serum alkaline phosphatase were determined prospectively in a consecutive series of 2884 acute medical admissions. Diagnoses were established by pre-defined clinico-pathological criteria. Two hundred and four patients had hyperphosphatasaemia. Liver and bone disease accounted for only 98 (48%) of the established diagnoses. The diagnosis was not established in 31 (15%). Transient hyperphosphatasaemia occurred in 66 (32.4%) cases. In 25 of these patients (12% of the total) an acute infection was the sole illness identified. In this infected group, the isoenzyme type was predominantly hepatic, although jaundice occurred in only 3 patients. Discriminant analysis revealed that this group was characterized by haematological and biochemical features of an acute phase response. Transient hyperphosphatasaemia is commonly found in acutely ill medical inpatients and is frequently associated with acute extrahepatic infection.

Non-metastatic hepatic dysfunction associated with renal carcinoma

A retrospective computer analysis of 102 patients treated for renal tubular carcinoma revealed 7 patients who presented with non-metastatic hepatic dysfunction. Of these 7 patients 5 also had the triad of fever, weight loss and fatigue. Only 1 patient survived more than 10 years after nephrectomy. A review of the literature on non-metastatic hepatic dysfunction revealed a significant interval between onset of symptoms and detection of the underlying renal malignancy, as well as a poor over-all survival rate if the syndrome persisted after nephrectomy.

Manifestations of renal cell carcinoma

Patients with renal cell carcinoma often have no specific localizing symptoms or signs, and their presentation will often involve many organ systems. Since 40 per cent of these patients do not have genitourinary symptoms, care must be taken to avoid being misled by normal findings on urinalysis. More than 50 per cent of patients with renal cell carcinoma have vague symptoms suggesting a gastrointestinal origin; thus if primary gastrointestinal studies do not disclose a cause for these symptoms, excretory urography must be included as a screening procedure.