Initial Surgery in Tailoring Treatment for Children With Stage II and III Wilms' Tumor: An Experience From Resource Challenged Settings.

BACKGROUND

Although Wilms' tumor (WT) is ranked first among primary childhood's renal neoplasm, controversy still exists regarding the best approach for its management. The study aimed at evaluating the role of initial surgery in treatment of stage II and III pediatric WT as a part of the short administration schedule as in National Wilms' Tumor Study (NWTS)-4 and evaluating its effectiveness compared to the long administration schedule.

METHODS

The study included 30 children who were primarily diagnosed as stage II and III WT. They were divided into two equal groups. Group I (n = 15) included those children who had undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and postoperative chemotherapy, while group II (n = 15) included those children who had undergone primary surgery as an initial management followed by chemotherapy. After a mean postoperative follow-up period of 14 ± 5 months, clinical and radiological evaluation was performed to all patients.

RESULTS

In group I, 10 patients were preoperatively diagnosed as stage II and five patients as stage III while in group II, 11 patients were proved to be stage II and four patients were stage III. After a follow-up period, clinical and radiological evaluation using CT was performed to all patients. In patients with stage II, evidence of recurrence was noted in three patients of group I whereas no patient showed any evidence of recurrence in group II. In patients with stage III, rebound increase in size was seen in two patients in group I and only one patient in group II.

CONCLUSIONS

Initial surgical intervention with appropriate adjuvant therapy has better outcomes than the neoadjuvant chemotherapy and delayed surgery for children primarily diagnosed as stage II and III WT. Moreover, it may act as a short administration schedule for the treatment as it is not less effective than the long administration schedule and can be administered at a substantially lower total treatment cost.