Radiotherapy in Wilms' tumour

Radiotherapy in the treatment of Wilms' tumour has had a long and distinguished history. In the pre-chemotherapy era, it was shown that radiotherapy given postoperatively increased the survival of patients with this disease. As Wilms' tumour is highly chemosensitive, the use of radiotherapy has been modified and it is now clear that it is not necessary for patients with stage I and II favourable histology (approximately 60% of all patients with Wilms' tumour). No dose response has been demonstrated for radiotherapy in Wilms' tumour; therefore, the National Wilms' Tumor Study protocols use 10 Gy. Results from the International Society of Pediatric Oncology and United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group have shown that radiotherapy must continue to be used in certain circumstances.