Background: Even if Wilms' tumour is the commonest primary malignant neoplasia in children, it maintained a continuous interest due to actual therapeutic successes contrasting with the customary delayed diagnosis, malignancy and specific risk factors.
Patients and methods: Two recent illustrative cases from our clinic are presented. The first one - a little girl of 22 months with repeated admissions for habitual constipation and psychomental disturbances revealed at abdominal ultrasonography a hypo-echoic mass at the superior pole of the right kidney. CT confirmed the presence of a solid homogeneous mass of 23/25 mm without node or distant metastases, suggestive for Wilms' tumour. Conforming to SIOP protocol she received chemotherapy and after 4 weeks a superior polar nephrectomy was performed. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of triphasic nephroblastoma of intermediary risk. Postoperative chemotherapy according to the protocol SIOP assured the cure with a disease free period of 23 months. The second case - also a girl, of 3 years, is admitted for constipation, pain in the left flank and mental retard (QI=40). Ultrasonography determined a huge mass (Ø~6 cm) situated at the superior pole of the left kidney. CT attested a nonhomogeneous, encapsulated tumour image of 6.2/5.4/7.2 cm in large posterolateral contact with the renal parenchyma out of which it appears to be developed. The diagnosis of WT is strongly suggested and after chemotherapy a radical left nephrectomy with initial vessels ligature was performed. Pathology: stage IIb nephroblastoma with focal epithelial anaplasia. After surgery she continued the chemotherapy (HR regime), was cured and excepting a medullar aplasia is in a good health after 24 months.
Discussions: Our both cases were girls under 3 years, presenting nonspecific features: constipation and psychic troubles, the tumour being incidentally discovered by the abdominal ultrasonography. CT established the diagnosis. Conventional chemotherapy framing adapted to the tumour's stage and surgery conducted to a stable cure of about two years in both cases.
Conclusions: Conforming to the SIOP protocols preoperative chemotherapy was applicable, well-tolerated and efficacious for two recent cases presented in our clinic, determining the shrinkage of tumour volume and stage and consecutive reduction of the surgical risks.
Celsius.