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Wilms Tumor Prognosis | UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
<!DOCTYPE html> <!--[if lt IE 7]> <html class="no-js lt-ie9 lt-ie8 lt-ie7"> <![endif]--> <!--[if IE 7]> <html class="no-js lt-ie9 lt-ie8"> <![endif]--> <!--[if IE 8]> <html class="no-js lt-ie9"> <![endif]--> <!--[if gt IE 8]><!--> <html class="no-js" lang="en"> <!--<![endif]--> <head> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=/assets/ucsf/main.css?v=40182074ecb56dad04debd94fedfc468 /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=/assets/bch/main.css?v=754aa12d0b3de52563c5716af1d66516 /> <!-- OneTrust Cookies Consent Notice start for ucsfbenioffchildrens.org --> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/consent/69de606f-159b-41ad-82da-d7a76950873b/OtAutoBlock.js" ></script> <script src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" data-domain-script="69de606f-159b-41ad-82da-d7a76950873b" ></script> <script type="text/javascript"> function OptanonWrapper() { } </script> <script type="text/javascript"> function OptanonWrapper() { // Check if banner div is available if (document.getElementById('onetrust-banner-sdk')) { // Get the buttons and container var acceptBtn = document.getElementById("onetrust-accept-btn-handler"); var declineBtn = document.getElementById("onetrust-reject-all-handler"); var cookieSettingsBtn = document.getElementById("onetrust-pc-btn-handler"); var btnContainer = document.getElementById("onetrust-button-group"); // Set the order you want below... btnContainer.append(acceptBtn, cookieSettingsBtn, declineBtn) } } </script> <!-- OneTrust Cookies Consent Notice end for ucsfbenioffchildrens.org --> <!-- ucsf data layer --> <script src="https://datalayer.ucsfhealth.org/ucsf-data-layer.js" defer></script> <!-- ucsf marketing data layer --> <script src="https://datalayer.ucsfhealth.org/ucsfbenioffchildrens-marketing-data-layer.js" defer></script> <!-- adobe experience platform tag --> <script type="text/plain" class="optanon-category-C0007" src="https://assets.adobedtm.com/db5f13cb240b/b1130ce1ceae/launch-db8f55f3e131.min.js" defer></script> <title>Wilms Tumor Prognosis | UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals</title> <link href="/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/header/favicon-32x32.png?rev=7da17355eec44d65b26747967816d41b" rel="shortcut icon" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/wilms-tumor-prognosis" /> <meta content="Patient Education" name="mainNavName" /> <meta content="false" name="includeBackgroundCircles" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Most children treated for Wilms tumor have a good prognosis, especially if the cancer hasn't spread. Learn what to expect after treatment." /><meta property="og:title" content="Wilms Tumor Prognosis" /><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/wilms-tumor-prognosis" /> <meta name="description" content="Most children treated for Wilms tumor have a good prognosis, especially if the cancer hasn't spread. Learn what to expect after treatment." /> <meta property="twitter:description" content="Most children treated for Wilms tumor have a good prognosis, especially if the cancer hasn't spread. Learn what to expect after treatment." /><meta property="twitter:title" content="Wilms Tumor Prognosis" /><meta property="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"/> <link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json" /> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no"> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","description":"Most children treated for Wilms tumor have a good prognosis, especially if the cancer hasn't spread. Learn what to expect after treatment.","image":"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/images/education/hero/wilms-tumor-2x.jpg?rev=28792ae352be425aaafa0320ee8c7306","url":"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/wilms-tumor-prognosis","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UCSF Health"},"dateCreated":"2024-11-18T19:50:40+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-18T19:51:16+00:00","headline":"What is Wilm's tumor?","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UCSF Health","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-health/ezgifcom-gif-maker.png?rev=b49aee14cf934fb086632358c341cf97"}},"articleBody":"Wilms tumor is the most common type of childhood kidney cancer. It's usually diagnosed in children under 5 but can also affect older kids. With early diagnosis and treatment, patients with Wilms tumor usually have a good prognosis. The great majority can be cured.\nMost of the time, the cause of Wilms tumor is unknown. But in about 10% of cases, the condition may result from specific genetic mutations or changes in the activity of certain genes. It's more common in children who have birth defects affecting the urinary system or genitals and in those who are missing an iris (the colored part of the eye) or who have hemihypertrophy (when one side of the body grows larger than the other). There's also increased risk of Wilms tumor among children with certain congenital syndromes, including Beckwith-Wiedemann, Denys-Drash, Frasier and WAGR syndromes.\nAlthough it's less common after childhood, Wilms tumor can affect older adolescents and even adults. Adults with Wilms tumor may discover they have it during treatment for another type of kidney cancer. While the prognosis isn't as positive as for young children, the survival rate for patients ages 15 to 39 is 75%.\nTreatment for early-stage Wilms tumor is usually successful. When the cancer hasn't spread, the survival rate is 90%.","articleSection":"Patient Education"} </script> </head> <body class="default-device bodyclass"> <a href="#content" class="skip-to-content">Skip to Main Content</a> <div id="wrapper"> <!-- #header --> <header> <div id="header" class="container-fluid"> <div class="component rich-text ie-warning-banner"> <div class="component-content"> <p> Looks like you’re visiting Benioff Children's Hospitals on Internet Explorer. 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href="/refer-a-patient">Refer a Patient</a></li> </ul> <div class="mobile-nav-footer"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <!-- /#header --> <!-- #content --> <main> <div id="content" class="container"> <div class="component article-hero basic-hero"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="hero-image"> <img src="/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/images/education/hero/wilms-tumor-2x.jpg?h=1112&iar=0&w=2880&rev=28792ae352be425aaafa0320ee8c7306&hash=8E011EF3133A524BAC787731B5A19DDF" alt="" width="2880" height="1112" /> </div> <div class="hero-content"> <div class="eyebrow hero-breadcrumb"> <div class="component ucsf-breadcrumb"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="eyebrow article-breadcrumb"> <a href="/education">Patient Education A-Z </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-badge-hero"> </div> <h1 class="hero-title display1"> Wilms Tumor Prognosis </h1> </div> </div> </div><div class="component share-print-email container clinic-share"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="share-component"> <a aria-label="Print Page" href="#" rel="nofollow" class="icon-ui-print" title="Print"></a> <a aria-label="Share Page" data-email-body="Thought you might want to see this:" class="icon-ui-share" data-email-body="Thought you might want to see this:" data-email-subject="Take a look at this link from UCSF"></a> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> </div><div class="component article-intro column-layout col-2-66-33 container"> <div class="component-content col-2-80-20"> <div class="article-content left-col"> <div class="font-larger article-text rich-text"> <p>Wilms tumor is the most common type of childhood kidney cancer. It's usually diagnosed in children under 5 but can also affect older kids. With early diagnosis and treatment, patients with Wilms tumor usually have a good prognosis. The great majority can be cured.</p> <p>Most of the time, the cause of Wilms tumor is unknown. But in about 10% of cases, the condition may result from specific genetic mutations or changes in the activity of certain genes. It's more common in children who have birth defects affecting the urinary system or genitals and in those who are missing an iris (the colored part of the eye) or who have hemihypertrophy (when one side of the body grows larger than the other). There's also increased risk of Wilms tumor among children with certain congenital syndromes, including Beckwith-Wiedemann, Denys-Drash, Frasier and WAGR syndromes.</p> <p>Although it's less common after childhood, Wilms tumor can affect older adolescents and even adults. Adults with Wilms tumor may discover they have it during treatment for another type of kidney cancer. While the prognosis isn't as positive as for young children, the survival rate for patients ages 15 to 39 is 75%.</p> <p>Treatment for early-stage Wilms tumor is usually successful. When the cancer hasn't spread, the survival rate is 90%.</p> </div> </div> <div class="article-info right-col"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="component content container"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="page-content"> <div class="component free-floating-link-button btn col-xs-12 btn-primary"> <div class="component-content"> <div><a href="/clinics/oncology-clinic"><p class="field-buttontext">Where to get care</p></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="component free-floating-link-button btn col-xs-12 btn-secondary"> <div class="component-content"> <div><a href="/find-a-doctor"><p class="field-buttontext">Find a doctor</p></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="component free-floating-link-button btn col-xs-12 btn-tertiary"> <div class="component-content"> <div><a href="/second-opinion"><p class="field-buttontext">Get a second opinion</p></a></div> </div> </div> <div class="component column-layout col-2-66-33 col-xs-12 col-2-80-20"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="left-col"> <div class="component rich-text col-xs-12"> <div class="component-content"> <h2>What to expect after diagnosis of Wilms tumor</h2> <p>In many cases, treatment begins before a conclusive diagnosis. That's because imaging studies reveal enough information to show that surgery is needed.</p> <p>After surgery to remove the tumor, a pathologist (a specialist in examining tissues for signs of disease) inspects its cells to confirm the diagnosis of Wills tumor. Sometimes nearby lymph nodes and surrounding tissues are also removed for examination, to learn whether the cancer has spread. How the cells look under the microscope can also indicate whether the cancer has spread or how it may behave. Based on that information, the pathologist will determine the tumor's stage, which will help your child's care team design an appropriate treatment plan.</p> <p>Treatment for Wilms tumor may include surgery to remove the tumor (typically removing all or at least part of the affected kidney), chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Most patients receive a combination of therapies.</p> <h2>What to expect after treatment of Wilms tumor</h2> <p>Once treatment is completed, your child will have regular follow-up appointments so we can keep a close eye on their health, including by monitoring for any side effects of treatment. Potential long-term complications include:</p> <ul> <li>Heart failure</li> <li>High blood pressure</li> <li>Kidney damage</li> <li>Secondary cancer elsewhere in the body</li> <li>Stunted height</li> </ul> <p>If removal of the cancer significantly affects kidney function or if both kidneys are removed, a <a href="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/treatments/kidney-transplant">kidney transplant</a> may be necessary. Our pediatric <a href="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/clinics/kidney-transplant-program">Kidney Transplant Program</a> is a leader in the field, with survival rates well above the national average.</p> <p>As previously noted, when Wilms tumor is diagnosed in an early stage, most kids can be cured, thanks to treatment improvements developed over the past few decades. For relatively nonaggressive cancer that's confined to the kidney, the five-year survival rate is 90% or higher. Even in cases where Wilms tumor has spread beyond the kidney, survival rates range from 60 to 90%, depending on how abnormal the cancer cells are.</p> <p>The best outcomes are usually in children who:</p> <ul> <li>Are young</li> <li>Have cancer cells whose microscopic appearance is on the lower end of what's considered abnormal</li> <li>Have a nonmetastatic tumor (it has not spread)</li> <li>Don't have certain gene abnormalities</li> </ul> <p>It is possible for Wilms tumor to come back after treatment. Typically, this occurs within two years of diagnosis. But even if the cancer returns, additional treatment can lead to a cure.</p> </div> </div> <div class="component disclaimer"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="field-ucsf-bch-text"><p><em>This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your child's doctor or other health care provider. 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