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Surgery

The surgeon will make a cut to see the entire abdomen, exposing the affected kidney(s). After the surgeon has looked over the entire abdomen for any additional signs of tumor, the whole kidney including the tumor is usually removed. In addition, the surgeon will take out some lymph nodes so they can be checked for spread of tumor cells.

Surgery should be done by a pediatric surgeon or pediatric urologist that is used to taking care of children with cancer, because the surgeon needs to be familiar and comfortable with working with kidneys containing tumors. This will ensure a higher quality of care for your child. Taking out the whole kidney allows for less of a chance of any tumor spilling out and being left behind.