Know What is Wilms Tumor, Complete with Causes and Symptoms Associated with it

YOGYAKARTA - What is Wilms' tumor? Wilms' tumor is one of the most common types of kidney cancer in children, especially under the age of 5 years. This disease is also known as nephroblastoma, which is a malignant tumor that develops in immature kidney tissue.

Although it is a serious disease, Wilms tumor has a fairly high cure rate if diagnosed and treated early.

Wilms' tumor usually only affects one kidney, but in some cases it can occur in both kidneys at once. This disease is a rare cancer, but it is the most common type of kidney cancer in children.

Well, in this article we will discuss what wilms tumor is, complete with the causes and symptoms that accompany it.

Know What is Wilms Tumor

Disadur dari laman Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, tumor wilms adalah tumor ganas (kanker) yang berasal dari sel-sel ginjal.

This disease is the type of kidney cancer that most often attacks children and accounts for about 6 percent of all cancer cases in childhood.

Wilms' tumor is generally experienced by children aged 3 to 4 years. After the age of 5, the case becomes much less common. However, this disease can still occur in older children, even in adults in very rare cases, borrowing from the Mayo Clinic website.

In general, Wilms' tumor only develops in one kidney. However, in some cases, this cancer can appear on both kidneys simultaneously.

As the medical world progresses, advances in the diagnosis and treatment of Wilms' tumor have improved the chances of recovery for children who experience it. With proper treatment and early detection, most children with Wilms' tumor have a good prognosis or chance of recovery.

Causes of Wilms Tumor

To date, the cause of Wilms' tumor is not known for sure. Even so, there are several factors that can increase the likelihood of a child suffering from this disease, including:

Genetic factors

Children who have family members with a history of Wilms' tumor tend to have a higher risk of having a similar disease than children who do not have a history of it.

Congenital abnormalities (congenital)

The risk of Wilms' tumor is also greater in children born with some congenital abnormalities, such as:

Aniridia, which is a condition when babies are born without part or all of the iris in the eye. Hemihypertrophy, which is a condition when one side of the body, such as the hand or foot, is larger than the other side. Cryptochidism, which is a condition when the testicles do not descend into the scrotum sac when babies are born. Hypospadic, which is a disorder when the urinary canal opening on the penis is not in the normal position. Rare conditions or syndromes

Several rare diseases are also known to be associated with an increased risk of Wilms tumor in children, including:

WAGR syndrome, which is a combination of conditions including Wilms' tumor, aniridia, abnormalities in the reproductive organs and urinary tract, and intellectual developmental disorders. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, a condition when babies are born with more than average weight (more than 4 kg) and accompanied by abnormal growth of organs or body parts. Denys-Drash syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by kidney disorders and abnormalities in testicular development.

Although these factors can increase the risk, not all children with these conditions will definitely have Wilms' tumor. Therefore, periodic medical examinations are very important to detect this disease early.

Symptoms of Wilms Tumor

Symptoms of Wilms' tumor can vary from child to child. Some children do not even show any symptoms in the early stages. However, in some cases, children with Wilms' tumor can experience a number of specific signs or complaints.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of Wilms' tumor:

A lump in the abdominal area that can be felt when touched. Swelling in the abdomen. Pain or discomfort in the abdomen.

In addition to these symptoms, there are also several other signs that may appear, including:

Blood in the urine (hematuria). Low red blood cell count or anemia. High blood pressure.

Because the symptoms of Wilms' tumor can vary and sometimes not be clearly visible, it is important for parents to immediately take their child to a medical professional if they find unusual signs in their child's health condition.

That's the explanation of what a wilms tumor is. Get other interesting news updates by visiting the VOI.id page.

Tag: kanker gangguan ginjal kesehatan