Renal cell carcinoma in children: single-center experience

Purpose

The aim of the study was to report the experience with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in children.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a retrospective study on renal adenocarcinoma cases treated in our center between 1993 and 2008. The age limit was established at 15 years. We collected data on personal history, diagnostic age, sex, clinical presentation, tumor laterality, diagnostic procedure, and tumor stage according to TNM classification proposed by the International Union Against Cancer (2002), surgical technique, pathologic subtype, and outcome.

Results

Six children were included in this study (4 girls and 2 boys) with a mean age of 9.5 years (range, 4-14 years). Tumor affected the right side in 4 patients and the left side in 2. Follow-up ranged from 9 to 140 months (mean, 85). Two patients were diagnosed as stage T1aN0M0, another was T1bN2M0, and 2 were T2N0M0, whereas the last one was T3N2M0. Radical nephrectomy was performed in 5 patients, whereas partial nephrectomy was adopted in one patient. The most common histologic subtype was translocation morphology RCC. One patient had local recurrence, whereas the other 5 are currently disease-free.

Conclusion

Renal cell carcinoma is a rare histologic type of tumor in children, with certain features that differ from those in adults. In general, RCC in children tends to present later than Wilms' tumor and is usually associated with signs and/or symptoms of disease. In localized cases, the treatment of choice is radical nephrectomy.