Kidney Cancer - Wilms Tumor and Other Childhood Types

Primary kidney cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the kidney. There are two major forms of primary kidney tumors, renal-cortical tumors and transitional cell tumors.

Renal-cortical tumors represent almost 90 percent of all kidney tumors. Transitional cell tumors of the kidneys and ureters are alike to bladder tumors. Kidney cancer hardly ever hits children and young adults; the exemption is a pediatric kidney cancer identified as Wilms' tumor.

Wilms tumor and other kidney tumors are diseases in which malignant (cancer) cells are located in the kidney. In Wilms tumor, one or more tumors can be discovered in one or both kidneys. Wilms tumor is the most general type of childhood kidney cancer. It is unlike from adult kidney cancer and needs dissimilar treatment. Wilms' tumor typically has no symptoms, and doctors are expected to find out this condition when investigating a child's abdomen.

Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney, rhabdoid tumor of the kidney, neuroepithelial tumor of the kidney, renal cell cancer (RCC), and mesoblastic nephroma are childhood kidney tumors as well, but they are not connected to Wilms tumor.

Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney is a type of kidney tumor that can extend to the lung, bone, brain, and soft tissue. Rhabdoid tumor of the kidney is a type of cancer that comes about typically in children under age 2. It develops and extends rapidly, frequently to the lungs and brain. Neuroepithelial tumors of the kidney are uncommon and typically come about in young adults. They develop and extend rapidly. Renal cell carcinoma happens hardly ever in children. The tumor can extend to the lungs, bones, liver, and lymph nodes. Mesoblastic nephroma is a tumor of the kidney that is typically made a diagnosis in the first 3 months of life. It can be discovered throughout an ultrasound before birth too. Mesoblastic nephroma comes about more frequently in males than females.

Smoking, high-blood pressure, eating a high-fat diet, and obesity can all add to an increased risk of kidney tumors.

The choice of treatment for kidney cancer relies on the stage of the disease, that is, how large the tumor has developed, how severely it has attacked the kidney, and whether it has extended to close organs, lymph nodes, or other parts of the body.

Your doctor might have more detailed suggestions regarding how to best care for yourself before, for the period of and after treatment for kidney cancer.