Can Wilms Tumors Be Prevented?
Certain lifestyle changes (such as staying at a healthy weight or quitting smoking), can reduce the risk of many adult cancers. But at this time, there are no known ways to prevent most cancers in children. This includes Wilms tumors.
The only known risk factors for Wilms tumors (age, race, sex, and certain inherited conditions) can’t be changed. There are no known lifestyle-related or environmental causes of Wilms tumors, so at this time there is no way to prevent most of these cancers.
Experts think Wilms tumors come from early kidney cells that were around before birth but failed to develop into mature kidney cells. This doesn’t seem to be caused by anything a mother could avoid during pregnancy.
For children at very high risk
In children who have a very high risk of developing Wilms tumors, such as those with Denys-Drash syndrome, doctors may recommend removing the kidneys at a very young age (followed by a donor kidney transplant later on) to prevent these tumors from developing.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Fernandez CV, Geller JI, Ehrlich PF, et al. Chapter 24: Renal Tumors. In: Blaney SM, Adamson PC, Helman LJ, eds. Pizzo and Poplack’s Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2021.
National Cancer Institute. Wilms Tumor and Other Childhood Kidney Tumors Treatment (PDQ?)–Health Professional Version. 2024. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/kidney/hp/wilms-treatment-pdq on November 21, 2024.
Smith V, Chintagumpala M. Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and staging of Wilms tumor. UpToDate. 2024. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-presentation-diagnosis-and-staging-of-wilms-tumor on November 21, 2024.
Last Revised: January 21, 2025
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