Renal cell carcinoma in childhood and adolescence: a retrospective survey for prognostic factors in 22 cases.

To identify prognostic factors for renal carcinoma in young patients, a retrospective analysis was performed of 22 patients (< or = 21 years of age) with histologically verified renal cell carcinoma. Demographic, staging, and treatment variables were collected in a database, and their effect on survival was determined using Kaplan-Meier probability distribution. The median age was 15.5 years (range, 3 to 21 years), and the male:female ratio was 13:9. Only three patients were black. Histopathologic examination showed 15 clear cell tumors, 4 mixed cell type, 2 papillary, and one well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The median size of the primary tumor was 10 cm (range, 5 to 20). There were seven patients with stage I tumors, one with stage II, and 14 with stage IV. Complete resection of the primary tumor was accomplished in 12 patients. The overall 5-year survival rate was 30% (confidence interval, 20% to 40%). The 5-year survival rate was better for patients who had complete resection of the primary tumor (60% v 10%). Unresectability was associated with involvement of nodes and/or occurrence of metastases, thus an independent effect of complete resection on survival could not be demonstrated. The data showed that age, tumor size, location, and histology were not predictors of outcome; tumor stage and complete surgical resection were the only meaningful prognostic factors. The presentation of renal cell carcinoma as a localized or systemic disease may reflect a twofold biological behavior. In the first group, the disease is curable with resection, in the second, it is unaffected by surgery or adjuvant therapy. In light of the very low incidence of this renal malignancy in childhood, prospective multicenter studies will be required to improve the poor therapeutic results.