Renal tumours in children.

A ten-year series of renal tumours in children up to 14 years of age was collected from the files of the Finnish Cancer Register. After histological evaluation of the material, 74 cases were accepted as primary renal tumours. Fifty-eight of these were typical Wilms' tumours, three rhabdomyosarcomas, six foetal hamartomas and seven unclassified malignant tumours. Wilms' tumours were classified into three types on the basis of the histological differentiation. The total five year survival in the Wilms group was 50 per cent with no difference between patients over and under the age of one year. Of the subtypes of Wilms' tumours the sarcomatous type showed worse prognosis than average; only three out of 16 patients were alive after a five-year follow-up time. None of the patients with foetal hamartoma died of tumour, although two fatalities, connected with the surgery, were recorded. The value of histological classification of Wilms' tumours and the importance of the recognition of the foetal hamartoma is emphasized.