Malignant urinary tract tumor in childhood

Fifty-one patients under the age of 18 with histologic-proven malignant urinary tract tumors were encountered at the Department of Pediatrics of National Taiwan University Hospital from 1979 to 1989. There were 47 tumors arising from the kidney, 2 from the bladder, and 2 from the urethra. For upper urinary tract tumors, abdominal mass (92%) and abdominal distension (86%) were the most common symptoms and signs. For lower urinary tract tumors, painless hematuria, bladder distension and urinary difficulty were most frequently encountered. Associated anomalies were found in one-fifth of our patients, including kyphosis, undescended testes, hypospadias, inguinal hernia, intersex and congenital heart disease. Diagnosis was aided by plain X ray, abdominal ultrasonography, intravenous pyelography, computed tomography, or angiography in upper urinary tract tumors, and cystoscopy, cystography and computed tomography in lower urinary tract tumors. Multimodal treatment including total excision, multiagent chemotherapy, and radiotherapy were performed. Postoperative complications included infection (22%), ascites (19%), ileus, pleural effusion, scoliosis, neuropathies, and growth retardation. The local recurrence rate was 32%, and the metastatic rate was 34%. The overall mortality rate was 53% for an average follow-up period of 38 months. The causes of death included sepsis, respiratory failure and hepatic failure. The two-year survival rate was 47.6%. The important prognostic factors included histology, staging and vascular invasion, in addition to combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy.