Wilms' Tumor Treatment
Your child's doctor will design a course of treatment especially for your child and discuss suggestions for treatment. The age and health of your child and how advanced the cancer is will help determine the type of treatment.
Wilms' tumor is almost always treated with more than one type of treatment ¨C usually surgery and chemotherapy. Sometimes chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be used to make the tumor smaller before surgery. If cancer cells remain after surgery, radiation therapy may be used.
One or more of the following approaches may be used to treat the cancer or help your child feel better.
Surgery
The main goal of surgery to treat Wilms' tumor is to remove as much of the main tumor as possible. The kidney, ureter and adrenal glands will be removed as well. This surgery is called nephrectomy.
During surgery, the lymph nodes close to the kidney may be removed and examined for cancer cells. Nearby organs and the other kidney will be examined, and biopsies may be done.
Two types of nephrectomy are used to treat Wilms' tumor:
Radical nephrectomy
The most common surgery to treat Wilms' tumor. The entire kidney, along with surrounding tissue, is removed.
Partial nephrectomy (or kidney-sparing surgery)
When Wilms' tumors are in both kidneys, this surgery may be done to save as much healthy tissue as possible. The cancer and some of the surrounding healthy tissue are removed.
Sometimes, both kidneys may need to be removed completely. If this is the case, your child will need dialysis (a machine is used to filter the blood) several times a week. A kidney transplant may be an option later.
Chemotherapy
Most children who are treated for Wilms' tumor will receive chemotherapy. If a tumor is large or difficult to reach, or if there are tumors in both kidneys, chemotherapy may be given before surgery to shrink the tumors and make them easier to remove.
Children's Cancer Hospital offers the most advanced chemotherapy agents.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy beams to destroy cancer cells. New radiation therapy techniques and remarkable skill allow Children's Cancer Hospital doctors to target tumors more precisely, delivering the maximum amount of radiation with the least damage to healthy cells.
- Children's Cancer Hospital provides the most advanced radiation treatments, including:
- 3D-conformal radiation therapy: Several radiation beams are given in the exact shape of the tumor
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT): Treatment is tailored to the specific shape of the tumor
Clinical trials
Because of our association with one of the world's premier cancer centers, Children's Cancer Hospital participates in many clinical trials (research studies) for Wilms' tumors. These include studies of the Children's Oncology Group, as well as clinical trials found at only a few institutions in the world. Sometimes these innovative treatments are your child's best option for treatment.
To find out more about clinical trials at Children's Cancer Hospital for Wilms' tumor, visit our Clinical Trials database or speak to your doctor.
Our treatment approach
Wilms' tumors are rare, and many cancer doctors see few ¨C if any ¨C cases throughout their careers. As part of one of the world's largest and most comprehensive cancer centers, MD Anderson's Children's Cancer Hospital has a level of expertise and experience that can be found at few hospitals in the nation.
Our highly specialized experts personalize care to deliver leading-edge therapies with the least impact on your child's body ¨C now and in the future. They take a team approach to ensure your child has the best chances for successful treatment.
Focused on Your Child
This remarkable team may include renowned oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists, all of whom specialize in the unique medical needs of children with cancer. They are supported by a specially trained group of nurses, therapists and other professionals.
This group follows your child from diagnosis through survivorship, keeping a constant eye on your child's health and quality of life.
Surgical Expertise is Key
Surgical skill is of the utmost importance when treating Wilms' tumors. Like all surgeries, the procedure is most successful when performed by a specialist with a great deal of experience in the particular surgery.
Children's Cancer Hospital surgeons rank among the most skilled in the world. They have a high level of experience in Wilms' tumor surgeries, using the least-invasive and most-advanced techniques. We're at the forefront of discovering groundbreaking treatments for Wilms' tumor. This translates into a range of clinical trials for children with the disease.
Learn more about Wilms' tumor:
Childhood cancer programs help young Wilms¡¯ tumor survivor thrive
Kinsley Curley was only 3 years old when she was diagnosed with a stage IV Wilms¡¯ tumor, one of the most common types of kidney cancer found in children. While giving Kinsley a bath in April 2017, her parents noticed a large bulge on the left side of her abdomen.
¡°She wasn¡¯t in any pain, and she¡¯d been acting fine and dancing around the house all evening. But her belly was really protruding, so we wanted to get it checked out,¡± explains Erica Curley, Kinsley¡¯s mother.
Erica and her husband, John, took Kinsley to a Houston urgent care clinic. A scan there revealed a large tumor on their daughter¡¯s left kidney. Doctors quickly sent the family to a hospital, which referred them to its nearby children¡¯s facility. At the time, that hospital didn¡¯t treat kidney cancers in children, so its doctors reached out to oncologists at MD Anderson Children¡¯s Cancer Hospital.
¡°Everything happened so fast after that, we didn¡¯t really have time to process it,¡± Erica says. ¡°Wilms¡¯ tumors can double in size roughly every two weeks, and this one already took up most of the left side of Kinsley¡¯s abdomen. It was compressing all of her other organs. If we didn¡¯t get it out quickly, it might burst. So, it wasn¡¯t one of those things we could really wait on.¡±
A stage IV Wilms¡¯ tumor diagnosis
Within 48 hours of Kinsley¡¯s fateful bath, she¡¯d been diagnosed with a stage IV Wilms¡¯ tumor and was undergoing surgery to remove both the grapefruit-sized tumor and her left kidney.
¡°On the one hand, we knew it would probably be OK, because she had two kidneys,¡± Erica says. ¡°But on the other, we were both kind of sitting there, thinking, ¡®Wow. What just happened?¡¯ Because we¡¯d been wearing the same clothes for two days, we hadn¡¯t slept at all, and our 3-year-old daughter was about to have an organ surgically removed.¡±
The Curleys drew courage from the fact that Kinsley¡¯s doctors thought she¡¯d be cancer-free after the procedure ¡ª and that she was likely to live a long and full life.
¡°With only one kidney, Kinsley is never going to be a bull rider or play tackle football, but that was never really in the cards to begin with,¡± Erica says. ¡°We¡¯re just grateful that she¡¯s doing so well now. Once the surgeons removed Kinsley¡¯s tumor and diseased kidney, she only had a few small nodules left in her lungs. Her doctors continue to keep an eye on those today, but they haven¡¯t shown any changes.¡±
Flexibility and fun make child¡¯s Wilms¡¯ tumor treatment less daunting
To prevent the cancer from returning, Kinsley needed 32 weeks of chemotherapy, and eight days of radiation therapy. That meant spending a lot of time at MD Anderson. But one thing that made Kinsley¡¯s treatments a bit easier was her care team¡¯s flexibility in scheduling them.
¡°Kinsley was supposed to start chemo in early May,¡± notes Erica. ¡°But her first-ever dance recital was taking place that weekend. Her doctors said the treatment could wait a few days, so they bumped it back until afterward. We really appreciated that.¡±
Another thing that helped Kinsley stay upbeat during her visits was the activities available to her through MD Anderson¡¯s support programs for children and adolescents.
¡°She really got into some of the art projects,¡± says Erica. ¡°And she¡¯s become quite the little artist as a result. But I think the camps were probably the best part.¡±
In fact, Kinsley was so excited by the prospect of camp activities a couple of years ago, that she asked her mother to adjust her appointments so she could participate.
¡°I was hoping we¡¯d in and out of there in a couple of hours, but she made me stay in The Park at MD Anderson and read a book so she could play,¡± laughs Erica. ¡°We went earlier in the morning to do all her tests and labs, and then met with her doctors later in the afternoon.¡±
Supporting programs that help kids heal ¡ª and be kids
Programs like those Kinsley enjoyed are among those supported by 7-Eleven and Stripes? Convenience Stores¡¯ annual fundraising campaign. Since 2014, 7-Eleven and Stripes? have raised more than $5.8 million for?MD Anderson?through the campaign.
Funds raised benefit research and new therapies at MD Anderson. They also support the?Pediatric Education and Creative Arts Program, which supports fun and educational activities for childhood cancer patients like Kinsley and their families during treatment.
¡°Kinsley is naturally so full of spunk that she never really acted sick, except for a few days after her surgery,¡± notes Erica. ¡°But she¡¯s doing great now, and she has really thrived, thanks to the camps and other activities. We¡¯re so grateful for all of the children¡¯s programs offered by MD Anderson ¡ª and the many generous people who support them.¡±
As an ambassador for this year¡¯s campaign, Kinsley is featured on in-store paper pin-ups in more than 575 7-Eleven and Stripes? stores across Texas. During the month of September, customers can make donations at the register by purchasing paper pin-ups for $1 each.
Learn more about the ¡°Stripes? Stores Celebrates Tomorrows¡± campaign.
or by calling 1-877-632-6789.
Blog Summary Placeholder