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Pleural effusions
Source: Wilms Tumor and Other Childhood Kidney Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: April 15, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Context: Wilms Tumor / Treatment of Wilms Tumor / Treatment option overview for Wilms tumor / Surgery
The presence of a pleural effusion does not appear to necessitate a change in therapy. In a multi-institutional retrospective review of 1,259 children with newly diagnosed Wilms tumor, 94 (7.5%) had a pleural effusion.[169][Level of evidence C1]
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Patients with a pleural effusion were older than those without a pleural effusion (median, 4.3 vs. 3.5 years; P = .004) and were more likely to present with advanced-stage disease (local stage III, 83% vs. 51.6%; P = .0001).
Only 14 patients underwent a thoracentesis, 3 of whom had pulmonary parenchymal metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis.
Thirty patients with a pleural effusion received chest radiation therapy as part of their therapy, 29 of whom had pulmonary or mediastinal metastases.
Sixty-four patients with a pleural effusion did not receive chest radiation therapy, 59 of whom did not have associated pulmonary disease at the time of diagnosis.
Only three patients with a pleural effusion and no history of pulmonary disease later experienced a relapse with thoracic disease.
For the entire cohort of patients with pleural effusions, the EFS rate was 86.2%, and the OS rate was 91.5%.
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