Wilm's Tumor Treatment Information for Patients

Stage Information

Stages of Wilms' tumor

Once Wilms' tumor has been found, more tests will be done to find out if cancer cells have spread from the kidney to other parts of the body. This is called staging. Your child's doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan treatment. The following stages are used for Wilms' tumor:

Stage I

Cancer is found only in the kidney and can be completely removed by surgery.

Stage II

Cancer has spread to the areas near the kidney, such as to fat or soft tissue, to blood vessels, or to the renal sinus (a large part of the kidney through which blood and fluid enter and exit the kidney). The cancer can be completely removed by surgery.

Stage III

Cancer has spread to areas near the kidney, but cannot be completely removed by surgery. The cancer may have spread to important blood vessels or organs near the kidney or the cancer may have spread throughout the abdomen, so that the doctor cannot remove all the cancer during surgery. The cancer may also have spread to the lymph nodes (small bean-shaped structures found throughout the body that produce and store infection-fighting cells) near the kidney.

Stage IV

Cancer has spread to organs further away from the kidney, such as the lungs, liver, bone, and brain.

Stage V

Cancer cells are found in both kidneys.

Recurrent

Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back where it started or in another part of the body.

In Wilms' tumor, how the cancer cells look under a microscope (histology) is also very important. The cancer cells can be of favorable histology or unfavorable histology (which includes diffuse anaplastic and clear cell sarcoma of the kidney).

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