If Wilms tumour spreads

Last medical review:

Cancer cells can spread from the kidney to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your childʼs healthcare team plan the treatment and future care. If Wilms tumour spreads, it can spread to the following:

  • lymph nodes close to the kidneys
  • the renal sinus (the cavity in the kidney containing the renal pelvis and renal vessels)
  • the ureter
  • a large vein in the abdomen leading to the heart (called the inferior vena cava)
  • the lungs
  • the liver

Very rarely, Wilms tumour can spread to the bone, bone marrow or brain. Doctors usually look at these areas only if there are signs and symptoms that suggest the cancer has spread there.

Expert review and references

  • Meghan Pike, MD, FRCPC
  • Fernandez CV, Geller JI, Ehrlich PF, et al. Renal tumors. Blaney SM, Adamson PC, Helman LJ (eds.). Pizzo and Pollack's Pediatric Oncology. 8th ed. Wolters Kluwer; 2021: Kindle version, [chapter 24] https://read.amazon.ca/?asin=B08DVWZNVP&language=en-CA.
  • National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Wilms Tumor (Nephroblastoma) Version 2.2025. 2025. https://www.nccn.org/home.
  • PDQ® Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board. Wilms Tumor and Other Childhood Kidney Tumors Treatment (PDQ®) – Health Professional Version. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/.
  • PDQ® Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board. Wilms Tumor (PDQ®) – Patient Version. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/.

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