RESECTION OF THE INFERIOR VENA-CAVA FOR RECURRENT WILMS-TUMOR

Wilms' tumor is one of the most common solid tumors of childhood. Appr oximately 500 cases occur annually in the United States, and the overa ll incidence is 0.8 per 100,000 children per year. Direct involvement of the inferior vena cava occurs in 5% to 10% of cases. The National W ilms' Tumor Study (NWTS), an intergroup cooperative clinical trial, in dicates that aggressive primary surgical management combined with chem o radiation therapy improves (with respect to both survival and recurr ence) the long-term prognosis for children who have extrarenal involve ment. In addition, aggressive surgical resection may further improve t he survival rate for patients with recurrent Wilms' tumor after initia l multimodaltherapy. Copyright (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company