Wilms Tumor: A Rare Kidney Cancer in Children

What it is

Wilms tumor is a rare kidney cancer. It forms a tumor on one or both kidneys.

• It usually affects children, but adults can get it too.
• Certain genetic conditions or birth defects raise the risk.
• Children at risk should be screened for it every three months until age eight.

Signs

• A lump in the abdomen
• Blood in the urine
• A fever with no clear cause

Finding and treating it

• Tests of the kidney and the blood are used to find the tumor.
• Doctors usually diagnose and remove it in surgery.
• Other treatments: chemotherapy, radiation and biologic therapy, which boosts the body's own ability to fight cancer.

Sources

Based on "Wilms Tumor," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Cancer Institute; a work of the United States government in the public domain.