We analyzed a series of 202 renal adenocarcinomas, 164 of which were submitted to radical nephrectomy. Pathological analyses of 150 adrenal glands revealed ipsilateral adrenal metastasis in 4 cases, 3 of these coexisting with other distant metastases. The primary tumors in these 4 cases were highly undifferentiated and in the advanced local tumor stage; the only case with solitary adrenal metastasis survived 15 months. The present study and data reported in the literature indicate that ipsilateral adrenalectomy should be performed in addition to radical nephrectomy only in renal tumors of the upper pole, those localized at other sites but whose size indicate the possibility of tumor spreading to the adjacent adrenal gland, or when a suspicious mass in the adrenal gland is evidenced by the preliminary workup or during surgery.