Childhood Renal Neoplasms in Lagos Nigera- A 28 Year Review

Abstract

Out of 131 nephretomies received at the Morbid Anatomy Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, there were 63 cases of childhood renal cancer representing 48% of total renal neoplasm seen over a period of 1970-1997. The ages range from 21/2 months - 11 years; over 75% of the cases were found under 5 years with only 3.2% occurring above 10 years. The male female ratio is 1:1.



Of the cancers, there were 42 cases of classical nephroblastoma and 10 cases of the blastema type of nephroblastoma. We had 7 cases of purely sarcomatous nephroblastoma one of which is a rhabdomyosarcoma and the remaining 6 were undifferentiated sarcoma. There was one case of anaplastic carcinoma. Also seen was a case of mesoblastic nephroma in a 21/2 months male infant.



In this study, neither benign neoplasm nor congenital tumour (angiomyolipoma) was encountered, in all cases, there was no age nor sex disparity. Most of the patients presented with abdominal mass with a unilaterally enlarged kidney, abdominal pain, haematuria and weight loss.



All of them had nephrectomy as initial treatment followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.



Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol. 9, No. 1 (1999) pp. 4-7