Paediatric genitourinary cancers and late effects of treatment

Nat Rev Urol. 2013 Jan;10(1):15-25. doi: 10.1038/nrurol.2012.218. Epub 2012 Nov 27.

Abstract

The most common childhood genitourinary cancers are Wilms tumour, rhabdomyosarcoma and germ cell tumour (GCT). Long-term survival rates for patients with these tumours are generally excellent, ranging from 80% to 100%. However, the high cure rates have highlighted the need to minimize the long-term complications of treatments (referred to as 'late effects'), which can be caused by the three treatment modalities used to treat genitourinary tumours: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Serious late effects, such as death, second cancers and tumour recurrence, are uncommon but do occur occasionally. Chronic health conditions--such as cardiac, pulmonary and fertility disorders--are more prevalent. Given the high prevalence of late effects, survivors of childhood genitourinary malignancies require regular surveillance and health promotion delivered by health-care providers with specialist knowledge of the long-term complications of treatment.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / mortality
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / therapy
  • Neoplasms, Second Primary / mortality
  • Neoplasms, Second Primary / pathology*
  • Neoplasms, Second Primary / therapy
  • Prognosis
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma / mortality
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma / pathology
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma / therapy
  • Risk Assessment
  • Survivors
  • Time Factors
  • Urogenital Neoplasms / mortality
  • Urogenital Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Urogenital Neoplasms / therapy
  • Wilms Tumor / mortality
  • Wilms Tumor / pathology
  • Wilms Tumor / therapy