Wilms tumor is also called nephroblastoma.
This is the fourth most common form of childhood cancer and the most common primary renal tumor in children (6% of all childhood cancer).
Summary of Wilms Epidemiology:
Annual incidence (In patients <16 years) |
7 per million children |
Proportion of pediatric cancers |
6% |
Age affected |
Mostly <5 years old
Sporadic cases with unilateral tumors present at an older age (median 36 months) than familial synchronous bilateral Wilms tumor (median age 26 months).
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Proportion of patients with various anomalies |
Musculoskeletal: 2.9%
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Peak incidence |
3-4 years Median age at diagnosis is 3.5 years
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Gender bias |
Generally female predominance for both unilateral and bilateral tumors.
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Wilms tumor was first described in detail by Max Wilms. There is a brief biography on the National Wilms Tumor Study website:
