Thanks to great strides that have been made in Wilms’ tumor treatment, today nearly 9 out of 10 children with Wilms’ tumor can be cured. MSK Kids most often treats Wilms’ tumor first with surgery to remove the affected kidney, then with chemotherapy and often radiation.

The best treatment for your child depends on:

• The stage of the tumor when it’s diagnosed
• Whether it’s a favorable or unfavorable tumor
• If it has chromosome changes

Surgery for Wilms’ Tumor

Surgery is a common treatment for Wilms’ tumor. Your child may have all or just part of their kidney removed. Our surgeons and your child’s care team do all they can to keep your child’s kidneys working well. Learn more about Wilms’ tumor surgery at MSK Kids.

Chemotherapy for Wilms’ Tumor

For stage 1 and stage 2 tumors with normal-looking cells, surgery and chemotherapy are often enough to cure Wilms’ tumor. If your child’s tumor comes back after treatment, we may recommend:

• Stronger chemotherapy
• Newer treatments that target certain genetic changes (mutations or variants) in the tumor
• A clinical trial, also known as a research study

Radiation Therapy for Wilms’ Tumor

For children with advanced Wilms’ tumors, we often combine chemotherapy and surgery with radiation. This is for stage 2 tumors with cells that do no look normal, stage 3 tumors, stage 4 tumors, and tumors that come back after treatment.