Better survival after combined modality care for adults with Wilms' tumor. A report from the National Wilms' Tumor Study

Abstract

Adults with Wilms' tumor (WT) have had a poor prognosis. More recently, therapies used in children, who have a better outlook, are also being employed for adults. This study was undertaken to see whether adults with WT have benefited. The results of treatment of 27 adults with WT were reported to the National Wilms' Tumor Study (NWTS) from 1979 to 1987. The ages of the 27 adults ranged from 16 to 74 years (median, 24 years). Four had anaplastic WT, and 23 had favorable histology (FH) WT. All but one patient underwent nephrectomy, 21 were given postoperative radiation therapy, and 25 received chemotherapy. The agents used most often included actinomycin D (AMD), vincristine (VCR), and doxorubicin (Adriamycin; ADR). There were six Stage I, five Stage II, four Stage III, 11 Stage IV, and one Stage V patients. The 3-year survival rate is 67%. These results are better than the 24% reported by the NWTS in the past for adults with WT. Analyses of the therapies given to the 27 adults lead to the following recommendations: for Stage I/FH patients, 6 months of postoperative chemotherapy using AMD + VCR without postoperative radiation therapy; and for Stage II, III, and IV/FH, VCR + AMD + ADR for 15 months + 2000 cGy to the tumor bed, 1200 to 1500 cGy to the lungs, 2000 cGy to the liver, and 3000 cGy to other sites as appropriate in patients with metastases at diagnosis.