VCU Massey Cancer Center

Treatment

Specific treatment for Wilms tumor will be determined by your child’s physician based on:

• Your child’s age, overall health and medical history.
• Extent of the disease. 
• Your child’s tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies. 
• Expectations for the course of the disease. 
• Your opinion or preference.

Treatment may include (alone or in combination) the following methods:

• Surgery – to remove all or part of the affected kidney and any involved structures.
• Biopsy of the tumor – if the tumor is too large or involved in surrounding structures to be removed; a biopsy also is necessary for diagnosis and staging the disease. 
• Chemotherapy – to shrink the remaining tumor, or to treat metastasis and/or recurrent disease. 
• Radiation – to shrink the remaining tumor or to treat metastasis and/or recurrent disease. 
• Medications – to control pain, hypertension, nausea and infections. 
• Blood pressure monitoring – essential when a kidney tumor is present. 
• Continuous follow-up care – to determine response to treatment, detect recurrent disease, evaluate function of remaining kidney and manage late effects of treatment.