Wilm's Tumor is exactly a fun thing. Also known as nephroblastoma, Wilm's tumor is huge, and can be very dangerous if not treated. This tumor most often will be found at about the ages of 3-4, but develops at child birth. When detected, it usually weighs about 1 lb, and it's only noticed from either a noticeable lump on the child's chest, or through one of it's side effects, like Abdominal Swelling or pain, fever, high blood pressure, or blood in the urine. Sometimes, the children show absolutely no symptoms. The tumor, if not treated for a while, can spread to other areas of the body, like other cancers, but this does not usually happen.
Wilm's Tumor has 4 stages as demonstrated by the diagram to the right. Stage I happens when the cancer is only found inside the the kidney, and can be removed by surgery. Stage II occurs when the tumor has moved outside the kidney, but still can be removed through surgery (the diagram does not accurately represent this). Stage III occurs when the tumor is still confined to the abdomen, but is now to large to remove through surgery. Stage IV is when the tumor has spread from the kidney to other organs. At this point, the tumor is very serious, and requires much work. There is another stage not shown, which is when the tumor is in two of the kidneys. This can occur when both are in separate stage I, or it could spread all the way to the other kidney. Either way this is even more serious, as it would leave you with no kidneys, and lead to death, and no possibility for surgery without the instant promise for a kidney donation ready. Luckily, Wilm's tumor has a very high survival rate, due to very good responses to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and the highly successful option of surgery.