Wilms tumor

Wilms' tumor, also known as Nephroblastoma, is a form of kidney cancer that occurs most often in children. It has an excellent prognosis, with 90% of patients living for more than five years after being diagnosed.

Wilms' tumor
Classification and external resources
Cut section showing two halves of an infected kidney with a Wilms' tumour. Note the prominent septa subdividing the sectioned surface and the protrusion of tumor into the renal pelvis, resembling botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma.
ICD-10C64.
ICD-9189.0
ICD-O:M8960/3
OMIM194070 607102
DiseasesDB8896
MedlinePlus001575
eMedicinemed/3093 ped/2440
MeSHD009396

Treatment

In general, Wilms' tumor is curable. If the tumor is only in the kidney, it can be removed along with the whole kidney. This procedure is called a nephrectomy. During the operation, the surgeon checks if the other kidney has a tumor. If there are tumors in both kidneys, a piece of the tumor will be removed. After the surgery, the child is given some chemotherapy drugs like Dactinomycin. This drug is also known by its trade name Cosmegen.

Both operation and chemotherapy is sometimes used.[1]

References

  1. Metzger ML, Dome JS (2005). "Current therapy for Wilms' tumor". Oncologist. 10 (10): 815–26. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.10-10-815. PMID 16314292.