[Adjuvant chemotherapy in the combined modality therapy of nephroblastoma in children]

The paper discusses the end results of complex treatment of 31 children comprising preoperative therapy, nephrectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy. Two-year survival was 64.5% and two-year recurrence-free survival--48.4%. Adjuvant chemotherapy (vincristine, dactinomycin and adriamycin) was given to 25 cases. Complete treatment consisting of 4 courses of adjuvant chemotherapy was carried out in 12 patients only, tumor progression and toxic hepatitis being the most frequent causes of adjuvant treatment suspension. Survival was shown to depend on such prognostic factors as the efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy, stage and morphological pattern of tumor rather than adjuvant chemotherapy duration. Therefore, a short course of adjuvant chemotherapy may be recommended for localized nephroblastoma in pediatric patients.