All About Wilms Tumor

The Definition of a Wilms Tumor

Wilms Tumor is a type of childhood cancer that starts in the kidneys. According to the American Cancer Society, Wilms Tumors are the “most common type of kidney cancer in children.” Wilms Tumor is also sometimes referred to as Nephroblastoma. Due to the kidney’s important function of filtering the blood from excess wastes and salts, a Wilms Tumor needs to be treated quickly and effectively to prevent any major bodily harm to the patient.

Facts to Know About Wilms Tumors

Every year, about 500-600 children under the age of 15 in the United States are diagnosed with Wilms Tumors. The diagnosis is most commonly seen in children ages 3-4 years old. Fortunately, the 5-year survival rate for children with Wilms Tumors is at an overall high of 70%-100%. Wilms Tumor is often considered to be one of the less severe childhood cancers.

Diagnosis of a Wilms Tumor

A parent should take their child to a pediatrician if the child has an abdominal mass or experiences persistent abdominal swelling/pain. Some other symptoms may include blood in the urine for a prolonged period of time, constipation, loss of appetite, etc. If the pediatrician feels that the child may be at risk for Wilms Tumor, they can prescribe a series of tests such as a physical exam to look for swelling, blood/urine tests to “check” the kidneys, and/or MRI tests examining the kidney area.

Stages of Wilms Tumor

To confirm the diagnosis, a pediatrician will usually recommend for the child to go consult with a pediatric oncologist. Once the pediatric oncologist confirms that the child has Wilms Tumor, the next step would be to figure out the progression of cancer. In the treatment of Wilms Tumor, the stage plays an integral role in the child’s treatment.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are 5 defined stages of Wilms Tumor:

Stage I: The cancer is contained to only one kidney

Stage II: The cancer has spread to nearby bone and tissue around the kidney

Stage III: The cancer has spread beyond the bone and tissue near the kidney, and is starting to affect lymph nodes

Stage IV: The cancer has spread to other important organs beside the kidney, such as the lungs or liver

Stage V: The cancer is present in both kidneys

To figure out the stage of the Wilms Tumor, the pediatric oncologist may do further image testing such an X-Ray or CT scan of the bone and surrounding areas near the kidneys.

Treatment of a Wilms Tumor

The most common method used to remove a Wilms Tumor is surgery (nephrectomy). According to most pediatric oncologists, surgery is the most effective procedure to safely remove a Wilms Tumor. Wilms Tumor surgery usually corresponds with removing all or some parts of a kidney. From Stage I to III, the Wilms Tumor can often be eradicated by removing a portion of the kidney tissue or removing the entire affected kidney as well as the surrounding tissue. After Stage III, Wilms Tumor is difficult to eradicate through surgery and may require both kidneys to be removed. In this case, the child would need to undergo dialysis (using medical devices to remove excess waste from the body) until a kidney transplant is completed.

Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy are mostly used only when Wilms Tumor in a patient progresses to Stage IV or beyond. Chemotherapy is the process of using powerful medical drugs to kill cancer cells in the patient’s body. Radiation Therapy uses high beam energy to kill cancer cells. Due to the invasiveness of these procedures, pediatric oncologists use them sparingly on children ages 3-4 who are mainly diagnosed with Wilms Tumor. The repeated use of Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy can often cause irreversible damage to nearby tissue or organs, which can affect a child’s quality of life in the future.

Sources:

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/wilms-tumor/about/what-is-wilms-tumor.html#:~:text=Wilms%20tumor%20

https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/wilms-tumor-childhood/statistics

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wilms-tumor/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352660

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wilms-tumor/symptoms-causes/syc-20352655