Malignant tumours in a horseshoe kidney in children: a diagnostic dilemma.

Introduction: Although malignant tumours in a horseshoe kidney are fairly common, both diagnosis and treatment are often difficult. The most frequently described tumour in children with this anomaly is nephroblastoma, but renal cell carcinoma and others can also occur. More than a hundred such cases have been presented in the English literature on the subject since Hildebrandt described nephroblastoma in a horseshoe kidney for the first time in 1895. Many of the articles report diagnostic and therapeutic problems.

Aim: Our intention is to describe five more cases from our own experience. The cases involve malignant tumours in a horseshoe kidney.

Material: Three children suffered from nephroblastoma, the other two had RCC. The tumours were particularly noted out of a total of 500 cases of nephroblastoma and 22 cases of other malignant tumours treated in Poland between 1993 and 2000. We also report here the treatment outcome of one case treated 30 years ago in our Clinic.

Conclusion: Diagnostic and surgical procedures involved in the treatment of malignant tumours in the horseshoe kidney are complex and challenging. Only a few oncological centers cooperating with child urologists can provide comprehensive and effective treatment.