Childhood Cancer Facts

"Wilms' Tumor" (Tumor affecting kidneys)

Incidence:

• 5 to 8 children per million will develop Wilms' Tumor each year. 90% of Wilms' tumors occur in children under 7 years of age.

Survival Rate:

• 97 - 100%
• Relapse 70 - 100%
• Today, nine in 10 children diagnosed with Wilms' tumor are expected to live. Previously, only two in ten survived.

Causes:

• There is a possible genetic predisposition to Wilms' tumor as indicated by research. In fetal development, sometimes a mishap occurs as the kidney develops. A large mass of primitive-looking small cells form. This chaotic mass is called a Wilms' tumor.

Description:

• The peak age at diagnosis is between 1 and 3 years. Wilms' tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer affecting children. Wilms' tumors usually grow as a single mass in one kidney, but may sometimes be in both kidneys. Most tumors are caught only after they have become quite large but fortunately most are found before they spread beyond the kidney.

Current Treatment Options:

• Currently, treatment for Wilms' tumor usually combines surgery, chemotherapy and adding radiation therapy in advanced cases. For most children, the kidney containing the tumor is removed. Often nearby lymph nodes are removed to see if the tumor has spread to them. Current studies are attempting to decrease the undesirable and occasionally lethal late effects of therapy, while improving the survival of those patients with poor prognostic features.