Adult Wilms’ tumor – diagnosis and current therapy

INTRODUCTION: Wilms’ tumour is one of the commonest malignant tumours of childhood. It appears mainly in the first 5 years of life. Incidental examples of nephroblastoma in adults have been described in literature (about 3% of all described cases). There are diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties in that older age group. The preoperative diagnosis of nephroblastoma in adults is difficult because there are no specific radiographic findings that allow to distinguished it from the more common adult renal tumors. Histopathologically, there is no difference between adult and childhood Wilms’ tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PubMed database and current literature search was conducted for reports on clinical and histopathological features of nephroblastoma in adults. We also reviewed the literature in terms of treatment strategy, toxicity and prognostic factors. RESULTS: Up till now, several biological factors have been identified that may be in future new prognostic factors. Modern treatment regiments improved OS in this group of patients (OS rates of 90%). The prognosis remain still worse for about 25% of patients with anaplastic, bilateral and recurrent disease. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the fact that nephroblastoma is a very rare type of cancer, adult patients should be treated in an individual way based on the available schemes used in children. Toxicity in adults is higher than in children.