Kidney tumors are not common in children. According to Seattle Children's Hospital, about 550 children younger than 15 are diagnosed in the United States each year. Wilms' tumor is the most common form of kidney cancer in children younger than the age of 5 and the survival rate is around 90 percent. Infants with kidney cancer are not going to complain about any symptoms--parents need to be aware of the symptoms of a kidney cancer and alert the pediatrician so that a diagnosis can be made.
Mass in the Abdomen
A significant symptom of kidney cancer in an infant is a mass in the abdomen. Parents typically discover the mass in the belly of the infant which can actually grow pretty large before detection, according to Nemours Foundation website KidsHealth. Pain in the abdomen may also be associated with the mass.
Blood in the Urine
Another symptom of kidney cancer is blood in the urine, according to the Seattle Children's Hospital website. Since infants are still wearing diapers, parents must look at the wet diaper in order to determine if there is any blood in the urine. The blood may cause the urine to be pink or red, according to the Stanford School of Medicine Urology. A doctor can also perform a urinalysis to detect blood in the urine.
Unexplained Fever
Another symptom of kidney cancer in infants is unexplained fever, according to Seattle Children's Hospital. This symptom is nonspecific in that fever can be a symptom of many conditions; some of these conditions are benign and other may be malignant. If there is a fever in an infant--especially if there is no obvious reason--the parent should alert the pediatrician for further evaluation.
Hypertension
As noted by KidsHealth, another symptom of kidney cancer in an infant is high blood pressure or hypertension. Kidney problems are one of the more common causes of high blood pressure in infants and children; however, since high blood pressure does not have any symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose in these patients. The physician may find this on examination after the parents bring the infant in for other complaints.
References
- Ped-Onc Resource Center: Signs of Childhood Cancer
- Cleveland Clinic: Kidney Cancer - Urological Overview
- Seattle Children's Hospital: Kidney Tumors
- KidsHealth: Wilms Tumor
- "Stanford School of Medicine Urology"; Blood in the Urine: "Hematuria" in Infants and Children; Linda M. Dairiki Shortliffe M.D.
