Symptoms and diagnosis of pediatric renal tumors

Kidney cancer is often discovered incidentally, with the appearance of an abdominal mass in an otherwise healthy child. This is often the first warning sign. Other symptoms may also occur: abdominal pain, hematuria (blood in the urine), fever, or other symptoms in the case of metastases, such as coughing. Most nephroblastoma metastases are pulmonary.

At Institut Curie, when an abdominal mass is discovered in a child, the first step is to rule out emergencies such as active bleeding or high blood pressure.
Ultrasound, CT or MRI scans are then performed to confirm the diagnosis. The images are read by Institut Curie referral radiologists, who observe whether the tumor presents the typical shape of a nephroblastoma. If so, treatment begins. A urine analysis completes the diagnosis, to determine the extent of the cancer.