Childhood cancer: Nephroblastoma (Wilms tumor)

Nephroblastoma is a tumor of the kidney.
Nephroblastoma (also called Wilms' tumor ") is a malignant tumor that grows in the kidney and is due to its formation in rare cases on inheritance. Most cases (85 percent) already occur in the preschool age.


Typical complaints:
As a typical symptom a palpable nodule in the abdomen, bloody urine, weight loss, abdominal pain and constipation can be found. It can also lead to the formation of daughter tumors (metastases) in lymph nodes, lungs, liver, bones and brain.


Extensive investigations are necessary.
The symptoms described already revealed the suspicion of the existence of a nephroblastoma. The diagnosis can be confirmed by further investigations (blood and urine analysis, ultrasound examination and computer and magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen, X-ray examination of the kidneys with contrast, X-ray study of lung scintigraphy, histological examination of a tissue sample from the bone marrow).


Staging of nephroblastoma after surgery.
The sessions are held, depending on the stage of the disease, usually as a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The Nephroblastomerkrankung can be divided into 5 stages, which refer to the state after an operation:

* Stage I: Tumor confined to the kidney, completely removed by surgery.
* Stage II: Tumor growth beyond the kidney, but completely removed by surgery.
* Stage III: tumor incompletely removed, but no presence of metastases.
* Stage IV: presence of metastases, for example in lung, liver, bones or brain.
* Stage V: Symmetric existence of a nephroblastoma.


Nephroblastoma in stage I completely curable.
The rate of long-term cures depends on the disease stage, and decreases from about 100 percent in stage I to about 50 percent at stage IV Is the disease within 2 years after surgery did not occur again, you can expect a permanent cure with high probability.