Renal cell carcinoma in children: the Detroit experience.

Abstract

We analyzed the presentation, treatment and survival of 6 children with renal cell carcinoma. We retrospectively reviewed the pathological and hospital records of 6 children diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma at Children's Hospital of Michigan (5) and Henry Ford Hospital (1) from 1980 to 1995. The most common presenting complaints were flank pain (50%) and a palpable abdominal mass (50%), while gross hematuria was present in only 1 patient (16%). No patient had the classic triad of flank pain, hematuria and palpable mass. Only 1 patient had localized disease (stage II), while 5 of the 6 presented with stage III or IV disease. While followup is limited, all patients with stage III disease are without evidence of recurrence at a mean 38.5 months and 1 of 2 with stage IV disease is without evidence of disease at 22 months. Although renal cell carcinoma in childhood often presents at an advanced stage, the prognosis for those with isolated regional lymph node involvement appears to be encouraging.