What Is Wilms’ Tumor?
Wilms’ tumor is also known as nephroblastoma. It is the most widespread type of kidney cancer affecting children. Wilms’ tumor develops in the situation when cancerous (malignant) kidney cells multiply uncontrollably, and finally mold a firm, grayish or tan mass (tumor). This mass is normally smooth and fairly round. When it enlarges, Wilms’ tumor modifies the typical shape and appearance of the kidney. Moreover, it may devastate areas of normal kidney tissue, and can lead to bleeding into the urine. Sometimes, the tumor finally becomes so huge that it is noticeable as a firm, smooth lump in a child’s side or abdominal area. Without appropriate treatment, Wilms’ tumor is likely to spread outside the kidney, most frequently to the lungs and the liver.
Wilms’ tumor is rather rare. Annually, merely around five hundred new cases are diagnosed in the United States. It represents 5 per cent to 6 per cent of all childhood cancers in the United States. Wilms’ tumor is much more widespread in African-American children than in Caucasians or Asian-Americans, and it is a bit more common in girls than in boys. In the majority of cases, the tumor has an effect on one area in one kidney only. Sometimes, tumors will affect both kidneys or will arise in multiple areas inside the kidney.
Children with particular birth defects are at greater risk of developing Wilms’ tumor. These birth defects may include: the absences of the irises of the eyes (aniridia) and excessive growth on one side of the body, known as hemihypertrophy.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of Wilms’ tumor are:
* A firm lump or swelling in the child’s abdominal area or side. Frequently, this lump does not bring about pain or any discomfort.
* Abdominal pain
* Vomiting
* Blood in the urine
* Too high blood pressure, even hypertension, which is activated when the tumor blocks the blood supply to the kidney
Wilms’ tumor is frequently noticed when a parent observes a mass while bathing or dressing a child, usually a child who is about the age of 3.
Diagnosis
The healthcare provider will evaluate your child’s symptoms and medical history and the history of mother’s pregnancy. If your child has evident birth defects, the physician will ask questions about your family’s history of similar problems, particularly those that involve the genitals or urinary tract. Furthermore, the physician will review your family history of Wilms’ tumor and other kinds of cancer. This is especially significant if you have some family members who experienced cancer at a very young age.
Your healthcare provider then will examine your child in details, paying particular attention to his or her abdominal and genital area. Later he will perform basic blood and urine tests, an ultrasound, and a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the abdomen.
If the preliminary diagnostic tests mentioned above demonstrate symptoms of a kidney tumor, the physician will send you to a major medical center possessing the facilities, professionals and experience to treat childhood cancer. Before starting the treatment, your child will undergo further examinations to check if the tumor has spread (metastasized) to other areas of the body. These examinations may involve chest X-rays, a CT scan or an MRI scan of the chest, and a radionuclide bone scan. Eventually, your child also will need a biopsy of the tumor area to acknowledge the diagnosis. In a biopsy, a small piece of the tumor is removed and analyzed in a laboratory.
Expected Duration
A Wilms’ tumor will keep on increasing until it is treated completely. Without appropriate treatment, this cancer can finally spread to the lungs, liver and other parts of the body.
Prevention
Unfortunately, the way to prevent Wilms’ tumor does not exist.
Treatment
Treatment for Wilms’ tumor is dependent on the stage of the tumor- how far and where the cancer has already spread. Generally, children with a lower stage of the illness are more likely to be cured, and they need not so great deal of treatment. Nevertheless, nearly all children suffering from Wilms’ tumor will need both surgery and chemotherapy. In most cases, surgery is done first, both to acknowledge the diagnosis and to get rid of all or as much of the tumor as possible. If it is impossible to remove tumor completely, radiation therapy may be performed as well.
The five stages of Wilms tumor include:
* Stage I - Cancer is limited to the kidney and may be removed completely only by surgery. Treatment involves surgery to take away the entire kidney (called a nephrectomy). The surgery is followed by chemotherapy.
* Stage II - Cancer has spread beyond the kidney to nearby tissues. Surgery may remove the majority of the tumor, however microscopic amounts are left behind. Treatment involves surgery to remove the whole kidney followed by chemotherapy and, sometimes, radiation.
* Stage III - Cancer has spread beyond the kidney to nearby tissues, and it is impossible to be removed completely with surgery. Normally, treatment involves surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Sometimes, chemotherapy or radiation is applied prior to surgery in the hopes that shrinking the tumor will make surgery more effective.
* Stage IV - Cancer has expanded and affected other parts of the body, including the lungs, liver, bones or brain. Treatment normally involves surgery followed by radiation plus chemotherapy.
* Stage V - In this stage, Wilms’ tumor affects both kidneys. Treatment frequently seeks to spare part of one of the kidneys, so that dialysis is not required.
When To Contact A Professional
Contact your healthcare provider if your child develops an abnormal fullness or mass in the abdominal area, even if there is no abdominal discomfort.
Prognosis
With appropriate treatment, the substantial majority of children suffering from Wilms’ tumor can be cured of cancer. In general, long-term survival rates are higher than 90 per cent.
