Wilms’ tumour in adults: a case report and review of the literature

Adult Wilms tumour: A case report

The Wilms tumour is the fourth most common paediatric malignancy. On the contrary, it is extremely rare in adults as it accounts for less than 1% of all renal malignancies. This scarcity of cases placed a significant challenge in generating evidence-based treatment. Hence, treatment of adult Wilms considerably varies between centres. Standardised guidelines based on international expert consensus for adults have been introduced to help steer management. However, reporting patient outcomes remains limited. In this article, a case study will be presented. This includes modalities of treatment, side effects, tolerability, and outcome. A 40-year-old gentleman with histology consistent with the Wilms tumour received adjuvant chemotherapy according to the UMBRELLA SIOP2016 adult guidelines. Such guidelines were originally adapted from the International Society of Paediatric Oncology protocol. The patient underwent eight cycles of vincristine, actinomycin-D, and doxorubicin and concurrent radiation therapy. Use of the UMBRELLA SIOP2016 adult guideline was shown effective at treating the Wilms tumour in this adult case with minimal severe toxicity. Ongoing follow-up is still needed to determine the long-term effects and prognosis of the patient.

A Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program comparison of adult and pediatric Wilms' tumor

PURPOSE

To compare the characteristics and outcome of adults and children diagnosed with Wilms' tumor.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was analyzed for patients diagnosed with Wilms' tumor between 1973 and 2007. Patients were stratified into pediatric (<16 years) or adult (≥16 years) groups. Overall survival was the primary endpoint.

RESULTS

A total of 2342 patients (2190 pediatric and 152 adult) with Wilms' tumor were identified. Adult patients were statistically more likely to be staged as localized than pediatric patients (62.5% vs 44.7%), to not receive any lymph node sampling (57.9% vs 16.2%), and to not receive any radiation treatment (74.3% vs 53.9%). Adults had a statistically worse overall survival (OS) than pediatric patients (5-year OS, 69% vs 88%, P<.001) despite the earlier tumor stage. When stratified by treatment era, the OS of all patients treated after 1981 was statistically higher than those treated before (5-year OS, 75% vs 89%, P<.001). Significant predictors of OS on univariate analysis for adults included treatment era, SEER stage, surgery, and radiation treatment. Significant predictors of OS on multivariate analysis of all patients included adult status (hazard ratio, 4.14; P<.001), treatment era, SEER stage, and surgery.

CONCLUSION

Adults in the SEER database had statistically worse OS than pediatric patients despite previous studies showing comparable outcome when treated on protocol. The worse outcome of SEER adults likely stems from incorrect diagnosis, inadequate staging and undertreatment. We recommend lymph node samplings for all adult Wilms' tumor patients and collaboration with pediatric oncologists.

Genetics and epigenetics of renal cell cancer

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is not a single disease, but comprises a group of tumors of renal epithelial origin, each with a different histology, displaying a different clinical course and caused by different genetic alterations. Since cure rates are inversely associated with stage and response to the available treatment regimes is limited to a subgroup of patients, diagnostic methods facilitating early detection and new therapeutic modalities are necessary. Increased knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology of RCC has resulted in the identification of genetic alterations involved in renal cell cancer carcinogenesis. Promising agents to target these pathways, especially the angiogenesis pathway, are being developed, some of which are already standard of care. In addition to genetics, knowledge on epigenetics in the process of renal tumorigenesis has been significantly increased in the last decades. Epigenetics will play an increasing role in the development of new therapeutic modalities and may deliver new prognostic and early diagnostic markers. In this review we discuss the background of RCC and the clinical applications of RCC genetics and epigenetics.