Symptoms
Treatment for Wilms' tumor usually involves surgery and chemotherapy, and sometimes radiation therapy. Treatments may vary by the stage of the cancer. Because this type of cancer is rare, your child's doctor may recommend that you seek treatment at a children's cancer center that has experience treating this type of cancer.
Causes
- Sometimes more than one Wilms tumor is present in the affected kidney. ...
- Each of the tumors develops on its own and may come from immature cells called “nephrogenic rests” within the kidney.
- If Wilms tumor spreads, it will be partly because of genetics and partly because of how far the disease has progressed.
Complications
What are the survival rates for Wilms tumor? Long-term survival rates are excellent: About 85 to 90% of Wilms tumor patients with favorable histology can be cured. Histology is the way cells look under the microscope—in this case tumor cells. Cure rates for patients with anaplastic histology, a more aggressive form of Wilms tumor, are lower.
What is Wilms tumor and how is it treated?
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What are the possible complications of Wilms tumor treatment?
What are the survival rates for Wilms tumor?
What are the stages of Wilms tumor?
What is the survival rate of Wilms tumor?
The overall prognosis of Wilms Tumor is usually quite positive with more than 80% of all children diagnosed expecting to survive the disease long-term. With a timely diagnosis before the tumor has metastasized to other parts of the body the cure rate is even higher at 90% with standard treatment.
What is the cause of Wilms tumor?
Doctors have found that some Wilms tumors have changes in specific genes: A small number of Wilms tumors have changes in or loss of the WT1 or WT2 genes, which are tumor suppressor genes found on chromosome 11. Changes in these genes and some other genes on chromosome 11 can lead to overgrowth of certain body tissues.
What are the symptoms of a Wilms tumor?
But most children with Wilms' tumor experience one or more of these signs and symptoms: An abdominal mass you can feel. Abdominal swelling. Abdominal pain....Other signs and symptoms may include:Fever.Blood in the urine.Nausea or vomiting or both.Constipation.Loss of appetite.Shortness of breath.High blood pressure.
Is Wilms Tumour curable?
Overall, about 9 of 10 children with Wilms tumors are cured. A great deal of progress has been made in treating this disease in recent decades. Much of this progress is the result of children with Wilms tumors taking part in clinical trials of new treatments.
What is the serious potential complication of Wilms tumor?
Spread of the tumor to the lungs, lymph nodes, liver, bone, or brain is the most worrisome complication. High blood pressure and kidney damage may occur as the result of the tumor or its treatment. Removal of WT from both kidneys may affect kidney function.
Where do you feel Wilms tumor?
The most common symptom is a swollen abdomen, which is usually painless. Sometimes a parent or carer may feel a lump in the abdomen which can be quite large. Occasionally, the tumour may bleed slightly and this can irritate the kidney and may be painful.
Is Wilms tumor fast growing?
Wilms tumors are often quite large by the time they are discovered, and these tumors tend to grow rapidly. The first goal is to remove the tumor from the involved kidney or major site, even if the cancer has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body.
Is a Wilms tumor hereditary?
Inheritance. Most cases of Wilms tumor are not caused by inherited genetic factors and do not cluster in families. Approximately 90 percent of these cancers are due to somatic mutations, which means that the mutations are acquired during a person's lifetime and are present only in the tumor cells.
What happens if Wilms tumor ruptures?
Preoperative tumor rupture may result in tumor spillage, thus altering the prognosis. The overall cure rate of Wilms tumor in low risk children has risen to more than 90%. Yet, in cases of post-traumatic tumor rupture the rate drastically falls. Computed tomography of the abdomen may help to identify the complication.
Can Wilms tumor spread to the brain?
The most common site for Wilms tumor to spread to is the lungs. But it may also spread to the liver, lymph nodes, other kidney, brain, and bones.
Can adults get Wilms tumor?
Wilms' tumour is very rare in adults with an incidence of about 0.2 per million per year (3) and represents less than 1% of all diagnosed renal tumours (4). There are approximately 300 documented cases of adult Wilms' tumour in the literature to date (5).
What is the best treatment for Wilms tumor?
Treatment for Wilms' tumor usually involves surgery and chemotherapy, and sometimes radiation therapy. Treatments may vary by the stage of the cancer....Surgery to remove all or part of a kidneyRemoving part of the affected kidney. ... Removing the affected kidney and surrounding tissue. ... Removing all or part of both kidneys.
What is the treatment for a Wilms tumor?
Most children with Wilms tumors will get more than one type of treatment. The main types of treatment are: Surgery for Wilms Tumors. Chemotherapy for Wilms Tumors. Radiation Therapy for Wilms Tumors.
What to do if your child has a Wilms tumor?
It’s important to weigh the benefits of each treatment option against the possible risks and side effects.
What is clinical trial?
Clinical trials are one way to get state-of-the art cancer treatment. Sometimes they may be the only way to get access to newer treatments (although there is no guarantee that newer treatments will be better). They are also the best way for doctors to learn better methods to treat these cancers.
Why is it so hard to remove a kidney tumor?
Sometimes the tumor might be hard to remove because it's very large, it has spread into nearby blood vessels or other vital structures, or it’s in both kidneys. For children with these tumors, doctors might use chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of these to try to shrink the tumor (s) before surgery.
What are the services that help with cancer?
These might include nursing or social work services, financial aid, nutritional advice, rehab, or spiritual help. For children and teens with cancer and their families, other specialists can be an important part of care as well.
What can I do to help my child with a tumor?
These methods can include vitamins, herbs, and special diets, or other methods such as acupuncture or massage, to name a few.
Can Wilms tumors cause side effects?
Making treatment decisions. The treatment for Wilms tumors can often be effective, but it can also cause serious side effects. It’s important to discuss all treatment options as well as their possible side effects with your child’s doctors so you can make an informed decision.
How to treat Wilms tumor?
Treatment for Wilms' tumor usually involves surgery and chemotherapy, and sometimes radiation therapy. Treatments may vary by the stage of the cancer. Because this type of cancer is rare, your child's doctor may recommend that you seek treatment at a children's cancer center that has experience treating this type of cancer.
How to diagnose Wilms tumor?
To diagnose Wilms' tumor, your child's doctor may recommend: A physical exam. The doctor will look for possible signs of Wilms' tumor. Blood and urine tests. These lab tests can't detect Wilms' tumor, but they can indicate how well the kidneys are working and uncover certain kidney problems or low blood counts. Imaging tests.
How does chemo help Wilms?
Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Treatment for Wilms' tumor usually involves a combination of drugs, given through a vein, that work together to kill cancer cells.
What kind of scan is needed for Wilms tumor?
The doctor may recommend a chest X-ray or chest CT scan and bone scan to determine whether the cancer has spread beyond the kidneys.
What is the purpose of surgery for Wilms?
Surgery for Wilms' tumor may include: Removing part of the affected kidney.
What is the best treatment for cancer in children?
Radiation therapy. Depending on the stage of the tumor, radiation therapy may be recommended. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells. During radiation therapy , your child is carefully positioned on a table and a large machine moves around your child, precisely aiming energy beams at the cancer.
Why is chemotherapy used after surgery?
Chemotherapy may be used before surgery to shrink tumors and make them easier to remove. It may be used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain in the body . Chemotherapy may also be an option for children whose cancers are too advanced to be removed completely with surgery.
What is the treatment for a Wilms tumor?
Difficult-to-remove tumors and bilateral tumors are usually treated first with chemotherapy to shrink them and make them easier to remove. Chemotherapy (“chemo”) — uses powerful medicines to kill cancer cells ...
What is a Wilms tumor?
Wilms tumor is a solid cancerous tumor of the kidney that arises from immature kidney cells. For most children with Wilms tumor, no clear cause is known. Certain environmental factors (such as contact with toxic chemicals) may increase the risk of developing this disease, but more research is needed. Children are more likely to develop Wilms tumor ...
Why does Wilms spread?
If Wilms tumor spreads, it will be partly because of genetics and partly because of how far the disease has progressed.
How old is a child with a kidney tumor?
Children with Wilms tumor in one kidney are usually diagnosed around 3 years of age. Children with Wilms tumor in both kidneys are usually diagnosed around 2 years of age. Males and females are equally affected.
How does chemo work?
Chemotherapy (“chemo”) — uses powerful medicines to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing (dividing) and making more cancer cells: Chemo is injected into the bloodstream through a large central catheter (“central line”), so that it can travel throughout the body.
How long does it take for a tumor to be removed?
In the United States, the tumor is almost always removed as soon as it is found. In Europe, the patient usually receives several weeks of chemotherapy first.
What is the purpose of internal radiation?
Internal radiation uses needles, seeds, wires or catheters (tubes) to deliver the radiation directly into or close to the cancer. For Wilms tumor that has returned (recurred), treatment depends on how far the disease has spread and which treatments were already used.
How are Wilms tumors treated?
In the United States, most children with Wilms tumors are treated in clinical trials developed by the Children’s Oncology Group . The goal of these studies is to cure as many children as possible while limiting side effects by giving as little treatment as is necessary. This is done by comparing the current best treatment with one ...
How is treatment for Wilms tumor based?
Because of this, treatment may differ slightly from what is described here. Treatment for Wilms tumor is based mainly on the stage of the cancer and whether its histology (how it looks under the microscope) is favorable or anaplastic.
What to do if Wilms tumor is too large?
If the tumor is too large or has grown too much to be removed safely with surgery first, a small biopsy sample may be taken from the tumor to be sure that it’s a Wilms tumor and to determine its histology. Chemo and/or radiation therapy may then be used to shrink the tumor. Surgery might be an option at this point.
What is the treatment for a tumor?
If the tumor cells have certain chromosome changes, the drugs cyclophosphamide and etoposide may be given as well.
What is the treatment for anaplastic histology?
Anaplastic histology: For children of any age who have tumors with anaplastic histology, surgery is usually followed by radiation therapy to the area of the tumor, along with chemo with actinomycin D, vincristine, and possibly doxorubicin (Adriamycin) for several months.
How long does it take to treat focal anaplasia?
Anaplastic histology, with focal (only a little) anaplasia: Treatment starts with surgery if it can be done, followed by radiation therapy over several weeks. This is followed by chemo, usually with 3 drugs (actinomycin D, vincristine, and doxorubicin) for about 6 months.
What are the factors that influence the treatment of a tumor?
Other factors can influence treatment as well, including: The child’s age. If the tumor cells have certain chromosome changes. The size of the main tumor. In the United States, doctors prefer to use surgery as the first treatment in most cases, and then give chemotherapy (and possibly radiation therapy) afterward.
What is a Wilms tumor?
Wilms' tumor. Wilms' tumor. The urinary system — which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra — is responsible for removing waste from the body through urine. Wilms' tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer in children. Wilms' tumor is a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children.
Where does Wilms' tumor occur?
The accumulating cells form a tumor. In Wilms' tumor, this process occurs in the kidney cells. In rare cases, the errors in DNA that lead to Wilms' tumor are passed from a parent to the child. In most cases, there is no known connection between parents and children that may lead to cancer.
How do you know if you have a Wilms tumor?
But most children with Wilms' tumor experience one or more of these signs and symptoms: An abdominal mass you can feel. Abdominal swelling. Abdominal pain. Other signs and symptoms may include: Fever. Blood in the urine.
What happens if a child has a Wilms tumor?
If someone in your child's family has had Wilms' tumor, then your child has an increased risk of developing the disease. Wilms' tumor occurs more frequently in children with certain abnormalities or syndromes present at birth, including: Aniridia.
What are the signs of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome?
Other signs may include abdominal organs that jut out into the base of the umbilical cord, a large tongue (macroglossia), enlarged internal organs and ear abnormalities.
Which race has the highest risk of developing Wilms' tumor?
African-American race. In the United States, African-American children have a slightly higher risk of developing Wilms' tumor than children of other races. Asian-American children appear to have a lower risk than children of other races. Family history of Wilms' tumor.
Can a kidney ultrasound help with Wilms' tumor?
Although this screening can't prevent Wilms' tumor , it may help detect the disease at an early stage. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Wilms' tumor care at Mayo Clinic.
What is Wilms' Tumor?
Wilms' tumor, also called nephroblastoma, is the most common form of kidney cancer in children. It develops when cancerous (malignant) kidney cells multiply out of control, eventually forming a mass. This mass usually is smooth and fairly round.
Symptoms
a firm lump or swelling in the child's abdomen or side that may not cause pain or discomfort
Diagnosis
The doctor will review your child's symptoms and medical history, as well as the mother's pregnancy history. If your child has obvious birth defects, the doctor will ask about your family's history of related problems, especially those affecting the genitals or urinary tract. The doctor also will ask if anyone in your family has had cancer.
Expected Duration
A Wilms' tumor will continue to grow until it is treated. Without treatment, this cancer can spread to the lungs, liver, and other parts of the body.
Treatment
Treatment for Wilms' tumor depends on the tumor's stage, which describes how far the cancer has advanced. In general, children with a lower stage cancer need less treatment and have a better chance of being cured. However, almost all children with Wilms' tumor will need both surgery and chemotherapy.
When To Call a Professional
Call a doctor if your child develops an abnormal fullness or mass in the abdomen, even if he or she is not in pain. If a diagnosis of Wilms' tumor is made, it should be confirmed by a specialist in children's cancers.
Prognosis
With proper treatment, most children with Wilms' tumor can be cured and will live for many years. However, secondary complications as a result of treatment may develop at some point. These include damage to the kidneys, heart, and liver. Other cancers may develop, too.
