[Systemic therapy in children and adolescents]

Abstract

Urologic malignancies in childhood and adolescence are mainly nephroblastomas, neuroblastomas, soft tissue sarcomas, and germ cell tumors. National and supranational treatment studies are the standard of care for pediatric cancer in Germany; they yield 5-year survival rates of almost 90% for nephroblastoma and germ cell tumors and 60% for neuroblastoma (all stages) and rhabdomyosarcoma. The principles of antineoplastic therapy are the same as in adult cancer medicine; the drugs used depend upon the disease. In a multimodal treatment strategy, the role of chemotherapy as well as that of surgery and radiotherapy can differ, as is described for nephroblastoma, infant neuroblastoma, and stage 4 neuroblastoma.