Geintourinary malignancies in children: editorial comment

The modern management of pediatric genitourinary malignancies has resulted in survival rates that are dramatically better than figures from just a few decades ago. This is largely due to advances in multimodal treatment, collaborative efforts, and multidisciplinary management. Nevertheless, issues related to long-term side effects, treatment-related morbidity, and progression or recurrences remain important and pressing in terms of research directions and areas for improvement. In this Editorial Comment the author attempts to employ the current state of the art, masterfully summarized in the accompanying review by Drs Grimsby and Ritchey, to provide a view of trends that are likely to become increasingly important in the future, highlighting common patterns in treatment philosophy seen in other areas of oncology: more selective or patient-tailored treatment strategies, refined protocols and -whenever possible- tissue sparing and minimally invasive surgical interventions.