Outcome of Children with Stage IV Wilms Tumor - Our Experience of 15 Years

Stage IV Wilms tumor is associated with poor prognosis, and recent changes in management have been suggested based on genetic markers and response to chemotherapy in this subgroup of patients.

The objective was to evaluate the outcomes of children with Stage IV Wilms tumor who were managed with the AIIMS-WT-99 protocol.

All the children with Stage IV Wilms tumor who were managed by us from October 2000 to December 2012 were included in the study. All the patients who had received primary treatment elsewhere were excluded from the study. All patients were managed as per the AIIMS-WT-99 protocol. After appropriate investigations, tumors that were deemed resectable underwent an upfront surgery. Unresectable and inoperable tumors received chemotherapy after cytological confirmation of the diagnosis. Chemotherapy was administered as per the NWTS-5 study. Pulmonary and flank radiotherapy was advised to all patients. Patients with poor response to chemotherapy or with recurrence were managed with an alternative chemotherapy regimen. The outcomes that were assessed the 4-year overall survival (OS) and the 4-year event-free survival (EFS).

Kaplan-Meier survival estimates.

During the study period, 219 patients with Wilms tumor were treated. Of these, 36 (16.4%) had Stage IV disease, and they formed the study group. The 4-year OS was 48% with a mean survival time of 59 months limited to 115 months (95% confidence interval: 41.3-75.9 months). The 4-year EFS was 42.4%. Patients with liver metastases had a poor outcome, whereas patients with good response to chemotherapy had a good outcome.

Stage IV Wilms had a poor prognosis, and the survival rates in the index study are lower than those quoted in the literature. Although the exact reason for this poor result eludes us, these patients may benefit from the intensification of chemotherapy.