Wilms' Tumor In the Adult

THE OCCURRENCE of Wilms' tumor in adults is thought to be rare. In actuality it is not as rare as has been presumed. Esersky et al reviewed the literature in 1947 and found 54 cases to which they added three of their own. 1 By 1960, Smith was able to collect 105 cases from the literature. 2 Although not as frequent as other types of malignancy in the adult kidney, it cannot be considered a rare disease. Some degree of confusion still exists because of the considerable variation in histologic structure, and it has been difficult to evaluate treatment and prognosis in the cases in the literature. This report discusses the disease and treatment in 12 adults observed in one institution. Material From January 1949 to June 1963, a total of 130 patients with a pathologic diagnosis of Wilms' tumor were seen at Memorial Hospital. Of these, 12 (9.2%)