[Metastasis of a hypernephrome to the ear].

Renal cell carcinoma (Grawitz tumor, hypernephroma), may metastasize to the head and neck region at different stages of its evolution. The authors present a case of a 79 year old woman who consulted for otalgia, deafness, and tinnitus. A polyp in the external auditory canal proved to be a metastasis of a renal carcinoma. The patient underwent a nephrectomy eight years previously and had no problems since. The data on otolaryngological metastasis of this tumor as well as its pathogenesis are reviewed.