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Renal Cell Carcinoma in Children

According to the American Cancer Society, renal cell cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of kidney cancer. The ACS estimates that nine out of every 10 kidney cancers are caused by renal cell cancer. However, despite the general prevalence of renal cell carcinoma, a 2003 study published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggests that it is relatively rare in children. The vast majority of children who develop kidney cancer are diagnosed with other rarer forms of cancer than renal cell carcinoma. Typically, when kids are affected by renal cell carcinoma have tumor growth in only one kidney, but it can occur in both. Treatment is the same for renal cell carcinoma in children as it is in adults.

  1. Renal Cell Carcinoma in Children

    • According to the American Cancer Society, children under the age of 15 are rarely diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. The risk of developing this condition is higher in kids between 15 and 19, as well as in adults and the elderly. According to a 2003 study published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology, the outcome and treatment for renal cell carcinoma is the same for children and adults, and generally involves surgery, which is in some cases accompanied by radiation, chemotherapy or biotherapy.

    Types of Renal Cell Cancers

    • Most children diagnosed with renal cell cancers have clear cell renal carcinoma, which is the most common type of renal carcinoma. Papillary renal cell carcinoma is another type or renal cell carcinoma, present in approximately 10-15 percent of total patients (adult or child) diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. Chromophone renal cell carcinomas are found in five percent of all renal cancer patients. Finally, the rarest renal cell cancer type is duct renal cell carcinoma.

    Risk Factors

    • Although it is rare for children to be diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, certain factors may increase that risk. Genetic birth defects are one risk factor for kidney cancer in children, but usually cause a different type of kidney cancer (Wilms tumors) than renal carcinoma. Specific risk factors for the development of renal carcinoma in children include Von Hippel-Lindau disease (a genetically linked disease which affects the growth of blood vessels) or tuberous sclerosis (another genetically linked disease, this time causing fatty cysts to develop within the kidney).

    Treatment

    • Treatment for renal cell cancer is generally a nephrectomy. This involves removing the kidney with the cancer growing inside it. In certain cases, such as when the renal cell carcinoma is in both kidneys, only a partial nephrectomy may be performed in order to try to remove the cancer while preserving kidney function. Radiation and/or chemotherapy may be used in either a complete or partial nephrectomy to attempt to kill any remaining cancer cells.

    Common Kidney Tumors in Children

    • Although renal cell carcinoma does cause kidney cancer in children, the vast majority of childhood renal cancers are caused by other types of cancer. Wilms tumor is a common cause of renal cancer in children. The development of a Wilms tumor is caused by a genetic problem, in which a condition caused Nephroblastomatosis causes tissue to grow outside one or both kidneys. Rhabdoid tumors are another common cause of kidney cancer, which targets infants, while neuroephithelial tumors tend to target young adults.

      These tumors which specifically target children tend to be fast growing and difficult to treat.

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