Pediatric renal tumors

Abstract

Renal cancers in pediatric patients are relatively common, with an incidence of almost 8 per 1,000,000 representing approximately 7 % of all childhood cancers [1]. The vast majority (>90 %) of these are Wilms’ tumors (WTs), but several other histological types of renal tumors also occur in children (Table 1). The incidence of each type of renal tumor is tightly correlated to the age of the patient. WT, most common in children under age 5, is very rarely seen in adolescents and young adults. An adolescent over 15 years of age with a renal tumor is more likely to have renal cell carcinoma. Rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (RTK) and congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) are seen almost exclusively in infants less than a year, and clear cell sarcoma almost always occurs in children less than 4 years old. With current multimodality therapy, curative therapy can be provided for the majority of children with a diagnosis of favorable-histology Wilms’ tumor; however, the cure rates for children with relapsed or anaplastic WT and RTK remain unacceptably low.