[Organ-preserving surgical interventions in unilateral nephroblastomas in children]. / Organosokhraniaiushchie khirurgicheskie vmeshatel'stva pri monolateral'nykh nefroblastomakh u detei.

The paper presents data available in the literature and the authors' own findings of organ-preserving treatment of 9 children with unilateral nephroblastoma. It proposes absolute and relative indications for organ-preserving treatment in this pathology.

[Radiotherapy in multiple modality treatment of children with nephroblastoma]. / Luchevaia terapiia v kompleksnom lechenii nefroblastomy u detei.

The role of radiotherapy in multiple modality treatment of Wilms' tumor is evaluated in 225 children aged 3 months to 11.5 years (mean age 3.5 years) with stage III-IV. 184 (81.8%) patients presented with stage III, 93.7% with typical nephroblastoma. Intervention was combined with drug and radiotherapy in 99.6% patients. Exposure of the abdominal cavity in total focal doses of 10.5-50.2 Gy (mean dose 28 Gy) was carried out in 219 (97.3%) of 225 patients. Special attention is paid to the incidence of relapses, remote metastases, and survival of patients in relation to prognostic factors (sex, age, stage of tumor process, terms of exposure, and total focal doses). All patients were followed up for 2-203 months (median 32 months). During this period relapses and/or metastases were observed in 34.2% patients; 30.2% died because of disease progress. 35.1% children live without signs of disease for more than 5 years, 14.7% for more than 10 years. Relapses were more incident during the first year of treatment (in 65% children) and outside the exposed field (72.5% cases). 33.2% patients with stage III developed metastases after 1-49 months; the lungs were involved most often. Prolongation of the period between surgery and exposure of the abdominal cavity led to increase in the incidence of relapses in the abdominal cavity from 6.7% (up to 2 weeks) to 21.9% (more than 1 month), p = 0.02. Relapses were the most frequent in children aged over 4 years. This parameter virtually did not depend on the total focal dose. The absence of relationship between the incidence of local relapses and life span after exposure to a total focal dose of up to 21.6 Gy in comparison with higher doses recommends reduced doses for therapy without notable deterioration of the survival of patients with nephroblastoma.

[Modern prospects for polychemotherapy of solid neoplasms in children]. / Sovremennye vozmozhnosti polikhimioterapii solidnykh zlokachestvennykh opukholei u detei

To improve life quality and to increase survival in children with solid tumors, emphasis is placed on chemotherapeutical treatments along with other existing ones (surgery, radiation). By taking into account the fact that most malignant tumors in children are highly responsive to chemotherapy, programme treatment in children with neoplasms included the new drugs iphosphamide, vepeside, cisplatin, carboplatin, melfalan, bleomycin. The results of therapy with these drugs alone or in combination with well-known effective anthracycline antibiotics and plant preparations are presented. Whether more rigid modified schemes for administration and increment of dosage can be used is shown. This investigation opens new vistas for treating patients with not only localized, but disseminated forms of tumors, such as nephroblastomas, germinogenic tumors, soft tissue tumors, tumors of the bone, head, and neck. Regular assessment of the existing programmes in order to amend them, the use of new drugs, the increase of dosage and administration regimens enhance promises in treating malignant tumors in children.

[Rhabdomyosarcoma of the breast in girls]. / Rabdomiosarkoma molochnoi zhelezy u devochek.

Cases of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) in 14 year old girls are described. The tumor was very aggressive with early and widespread metastases in regional and other lymph nodes, soft tissues, various parts of the skeleton, bone marrow, lungs. The diagnosis and spread of this tumour was established on the basis of total examination of the girls. Clinical stage III was found in one girl, stage IV in two patients with RMS of the breast. Diagnoses were confirmed histologically (open biopsy of the tumours). Bilateral alveolar RMS of the breast (synchronic or metachronic) was diagnosed in all the patients. Light and electron microscopies were insufficient for final diagnosis, histogenesis of the tumour was established by means of immunohistochemistry. All the patients died within 3 months to one year and half after diagnosis.

[Diagnosis and therapy of rhabdomyosarcoma in children]. / Diagnostika i lechenie rabdomiosarkomy u detei.

An analysis of 24-month relapse-free survival in 62 patients with rhabdomyosarcoma (S.I.O.P.-89) is presented. All children with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) stage I have survived; stage II--90, and stage III--62%, i.e. twice as many as compared with those treated before 1993. RMS sites included retroperitoneal space, spatium perinei, urinary bladder, testicle, abdominal and thoracic cavity. Diagnosis was based on clinical, instrumental, laboratory, X-ray, radionuclide, ultrasound and morphological data. Recommendations for examination of RMS suspects were worked out for different levels of expertise.

[Metastatic lung tumors in children (clinical course, diagnosis, prognosis)]. / Metastaticheskie opukholi lëgkikh u detei (klinika, diagnostika, prognoz).

According to data available at the Institute (1985-1999, approx. 1,200 patients), the lung is the most frequent site of cancer dissemination (up to 75%). Such most frequent pediatric children tumors as Wilms' tumor, neuroblastoma, rhabdosarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma and that of Ewing disseminate to lung in 85%, particularly, at advanced stages.

[The diagnostic and prognostic characteristics of nephroblastoma recurrences in children]. / Osobennosti diagnostiki i prognoza retsidivov nefroblastom u detei.

A total of 450 children with nephroblastoma were treated in the children's oncological department of the All-Union Cancer Research Centre, the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, between 1976 and 1986. Tumour relapses were diagnosed during various terms of postsurgery in 131 (29.1 per cent) of them: true relapses in 58 (44.1); retroperitoneal lymph nodal metastases in 56 (42.7 per cent) and the both patterns in 17 (13.2 per cent) patients. The majority of the children were older than 3 years. The initial and the most common manifestations of nephroblastoma relapses were the following symptoms: weakness and diminished appetite (93.1 per cent) pale skin (78.6 per cent), abdominal pains (77 per cent), enlarged abdomen (73 per cent), a palpable tumour (82.4 per cent), neurological symptomatology: defecation and urination disorders (12.9 per cent), pareses and paralyses of lower extremities (6.8 per cent). Timely usage of diagnostic complex measures (palpation under the control of myorelaxants, ultrasonic and computed tomography, angiography) enables one to diagnose nephroblastoma relapses. Such histological patterns of nephroblastoma as nondifferentiated blastema, sarcomatoid and rhabdoid tumours were considered as prognostically unfavourable ones. More relapses were diagnosed in children over 4 years. Some cases of nephroblastoma relapses are also caused by the operative technique (lumbar incision in nephrectomy) and extension of the tumour (into the adjacent organs and tissues--Stage II disease). Pre- of intraoperative ruptures of tumour capsules is a principal factor contributing to relapses. Radiation and chemotherapy are found to be mandatory for the prevention of the ruptures.