Chemotherapy given after an operation when there are no cancer cells that can be seen is called adjuvant therapy. If very high doses of chemotherapy are needed to treat the cancer, bone marrow may be taken from the bones before therapy and frozen until it is needed. Following chemotherapy, the bone marrow is given back through a needle in a vein. This is called autologous bone marrow reinfusion. After several years, some patients develop another form of cancer as a result of their treatment with chemotherapy and radiation.
Clinical trials are ongoing to determine if lower doses of chemotherapy and radiation can be used.
Your child may receive treatment that is considered standard based on its effectiveness in a number of patients in past studies, or you may choose to have your child take part in a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to test new treatments and to find better ways to treat cancer patients. Clinical trials are ongoing in most parts of the country for most stages of Wilms' tumor. Your child's treatment depends on the histology of the cancer.