Wilms Tumor

Overview

At Mayo Clinic, patients with Wilms tumor, a cancer of the kidney, experience coordinated diagnosis and treatment based on innovative therapies. The clinic's multidisciplinary group practice promotes close integration of all required specialties and subspecialties. For example, staff geneticists can counsel patients about rare, inherited conditions that might be associated with Wilms tumor.

Diagnosis

Physicians use a wide range of imaging techniques, including CT scans, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, when they suspect that a patient has Wilms tumor. The latest techniques in biopsies, blood and urine tests, and other diagnostic tools may also be used to confirm the presence and progression of Wilms tumors. Read more about diagnosis of Wilms tumor.

Treatment Options

Mayo Clinic physicians treat Wilms tumors with surgery, chemotherapy and, sometimes, radiation therapy. Read more about treatment options for Wilms tumor.

• Treatment in Minnesota

About Wilms Tumor

Physicians diagnose approximately 500 cases in the United States each year. The condition is named for Carl Max Wilhelm Wilms, a 19th century German surgeon who recognized that the cancer develops from immature kidney cells. About three percent of cases are inherited; the remainder seem to occur spontaneously. Physicians usually diagnose the disease when a child is approximately 3 years old.

Read more about Wilms tumor at MayoClinic.com.