Synonyms in a broader sense
Cancer, nephroblastoma, tumor, These topics may also be of interest to you:
- Wilms tumor
- Tumor
- Chemotherapy
Prognosis
All in all, the prognosis of nephroblastoma is quite good with a 75% cure rate. The Wilms tumor prognosis depends on the time of diagnosis and the tumor involvement. Thus, a cure rate of 100% in stage 1 is very good.
In stage 2, 80-90% of the patients can be cured and in stage 3 and 4, 50-60%. The 5 year survival rate of all Wilms tumors together is 85%. The patient survey is also at the top of the list for Wilms tumors.
How long the symptoms persist, what type of symptoms have been reported, whether familial cancers have occurred before, etc. This can give the physician first indications of the type of disease. The physical examination is then usually the first step.
In this way, the doctor can often palpate (palpate) the tumor in the abdominal cavity depending on its size. Here he must examine very carefully, as there is a risk of injury (rupture) of important abdominal organs. Wilms tumors localized on both sides show very rapid growth within a few weeks.
The abdominal midline is usually not crossed. The blood test of the young patient gives indications of an inflammatory event. The laboratory examination of the urine, which looks normal for humans, can detect the smallest blood components/blood (microhaematuria).
This is present in 20% of cases. An ultrasound examination can often provide an initial diagnosis, as the often massive tumor findings can be seen quite clearly in the image. It may be necessary to distinguish a tumor from renal cysts.
During the ultrasound examination, the opposite side of the patient must also be examined and a color image of the renal vessels (Doppler) must be made. This is necessary, among other things, to find out whether the tumor has already invaded a renal vessel. An i. v. excretion urography would be considered as an x-ray examination, which, after intravenous administration of contrast medium and subsequent x-ray, can show the functionality of the kidneys and make statements as to whether urinary retention is present or whether it is possibly a so-called “silent kidney“.
This is the name given to kidneys that have mostly stopped working due to urinary retention or have never started working since birth. A magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) can provide information about how far the tumor has already spread. If the doctor comes to the diagnosis of a nephroblastoma, it is necessary to order examinations to determine whether the tumor has already metastasized somewhere in the body.
Diagnostics in this case include chest x-ray (lung metastases) and skeletal scintigraphy (skeletal metastases). A CT of the head could also provide information about the presence of brain metastases. However, this examination is not primarily performed.
As further differential diagnoses benign fibromas, angiomyolipomas and mesoblastic nephromas or as malignant tumors the renal cell carcinoma, lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and others should be considered. Kidney diseases such as hydronephrosis, polycystic kidney dysplasia and abscesses must also not be ignored.
