The method of treatment proposed for your child will depend upon the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis and on certain features of your child's tumor. Sometimes chemotherapy and radiation are used together to reduce the size of the tumor or to make unresectable tumors resectable. This is usually for bilateral tumors or for large unresectable tumors. However, usually surgical resection is the first course of therapy for Wilms' tumor. In the majority of cases, surgery is then followed by chemotherapy for Stage 3 and Stage 4 tumors.
Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to eliminate cancer cells.
Chemotherapy not only destroys cancer cells, but also affects the growth of normal cells and therefore has side effects which will be explained to you. Surgery is extremely important in the treatment of Wilms' tumor. Surgery is done to remove the tumor and to provide a sample for accurate assessment of tumor staging. Surgery is also done to prevent the rupture of the tumor and the subsequent spilling of tumor cells if the tumor ruptures. It is done to treat cells that may have escaped from the tumor.