Nephron-sparing surgery in bilateral Wilms tumors: Limitations of current criteria and impact of tumor size on renal morbidity.

Abstract

Background: Patients with synchronous bilateral Wilms tumor (BWT) face challenges in balancing oncological control and nephron-sparing surgery (NSS). This study aimed to identify objective criteria for NSS in BWT by applying SIOP RTSG 2016 Umbrella Study criteria, the RENAL nephrometry scoring system, three-dimensional (3D) tumor volume measurements, and residual healthy kidney volume assessment.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 14 patients with synchronous BWT. 3D volume reconstructions were performed using 3D Slicer software. NSS eligibility was assessed based on the SIOP RTSG 2016 Umbrella study criteria and the RENAL nephrometry scoring system.

Results: The total median tumor volume at diagnosis was 347,800.35 mm³, which decreased to 75,195.59 mm³ after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as measured by 3D imaging (p = 0.028). In the early postoperative period, 43 % of patients (n = 6) developed acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis; however, none progressed to chronic kidney disease. Tumor volume at diagnosis showed a strong correlation with postoperative serum creatinine levels (p = 0.005, r = 0.70). According to SIOP RTSG 2016 NSS criteria, only five (18 %) kidneys were deemed suitable for NSS. Additionally, when we evaluated our patients using the RENAL nephrometry scoring system, we found that tumor complexity did not significantly change after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Nevertheless, NSS was performed in 17 kidneys. The 5-year overall survival rate was 92.9 %, while the disease-free survival rate was 78.6 %.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that it is not possible to predict the feasibility of NSS for BWT using the currently available criteria in the literature. Tumor volume or the volume of residual healthy renal parenchyma were also not helpful in predicting feasibility. An increased tumor volume at the time of diagnosis appears to be associated with a higher risk of postoperative renal replacement therapy requirement. Multicenter studies with larger patient cohorts are needed to establish objective criteria to determine which kidney can undergo NSS in BWT cases.