Nephron-sparing surgery for unilateral primary renal tumor in children

Purpose: Definition of the role of nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) in the tre atment of children with primary unilateral renal tumor(URT). Methods: Between January 1992 and June 2000, 28 children with URT were admi tted to our surgical unit. Criteria for selection of patients eligible for NSS were at least 50% of affected kidney preservable and stage I at surgery (frozen section biopsies from regional lymph nodes, perirenal fat, and sur rounding renal parenchyma). Preoperative P-drug chemotherapy was given to a ll patients more than 6 months of age. Between 1992 and 1995, 3-drug chemot herapy was used after NSS. Thereafter, following NSS, 2-drug chemotherapy w as given if no microscopic residual disease was found on final histologic e xamination. Results: NSS was feasible in 10 of 28 children (35%). Enucleation of 6 tumo rs (1 metachronous) was performed in 5 patients. NSS was elective in 5 pati ents, mandatory in 3 patients (1 with aniridia and genitourinary anomalies, 1 with chronic glomerulonephritis, 1 with bilateral hyperplastic nephrobla stomatosis), and advisable in 2 patients (1 with familiar vesicoureteric re flux and 1 with cystic nephroma). Seven children had standard histology nep hroblastoma, 1 highly differentiated epithelial type nephroblastoma, 1 onco cytoma, and 1 cystic nephroma. The only post-NSS complication was macroscop ic hematuria in 1 patient. None of the patients had a relapse. All children are alive and disease free with good functioning of the affected kidney af ter NSS, at a mean follow-up of 40.7 months (range, 2 to 100 months). Conclusion: NSS should be considered in selected children with URT, especia lly in patients with increased risk for metachronous tumor or renal disease , and in patients with benign or low-grade malignant URT. Copyright (C) 200 1 by W.B. Saunders Company.