About this topic
Cancer happens when normal cells in the body grow out of control. A Wilms tumor is a cancerous tumor that forms inside the kidney. This is the most common kidney cancer in children. Most of the time tumors are only in one kidney but they can happen in both kidneys. Your body has two kidneys, one on each side of the backbone. The kidneys remove waste products from the body. They also help control blood pressure and make sure that the body has the right amount of red blood cells. ‚
This kind of cancer is treated in a number of ways. They may include surgery, radiation, or drugs called chemo. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- If your child had surgery, follow the doctors instructions for wound care.
- If your child is having chemo or radiation, the doctor may give drugs to help stop your child from feeling sick or other side effects.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your childs condition needs close monitoring. Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your child's progress. Be sure to keep these visits. Your child may need more blood work, tests, or treatment.
- If your child has stitches or staples, they will need to be taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- If both kidneys were removed, your child will need dialysis until a kidney is available for transplant. Your child's doctor will talk to you about this.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Boost the immune system
- Help with side effects like upset stomach and throwing up
- Prevent infection
Will physical activity be limited?
Rest is important. Your childs activity level will depend on the procedure or treatment. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for your child. Ask your doctor when your child can go back to normal activities like school or daycare. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
Eating a healthy diet is important during this time. No special changes to diet are needed for children who had a well-contained tumor. If your childs kidney was taken out, the doctor may order a low-salt diet. Talk to your doctor to see if your child needs to be on a special diet. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Cancer could come back or spread to other areas
- Feeling weak
- Not able to have children later in life
- Infection
- Less kidney function
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
There is no way to prevent this health problem from happening. ‚
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills.
- Only a small amount of urine or no urine for 6 hours
- Blood in urine
- Weakness
- Your child is not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or your child is feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you about your child. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my childs condition.
- I can tell you what kind of treatment my child will be having.
- I can tell you what I will do if my child has a fever, weakness, blood in the urine, or only a small amount of urine for 6 hours.
Where can I learn more?
American Cancer Society ‚
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/WilmsTumor/index ‚
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/kidney/wilms.html# ‚
National Organization for Rare Disorders ‚
http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/343/viewAbstract ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚