Key Statistics for Wilms Tumors
The information below is an overview of the latest statistics for Wilms tumors.
How common are Wilms tumors?
Wilms tumor is the most common type of kidney cancer in children. Each year, about 600 children are diagnosed with Wilms tumors in the United States. This number has been fairly stable for many years. About 5% of all cancers in children are Wilms tumors.
Who gets Wilms tumors?
Wilms tumors tend to occur in young children. The average age of children when they are diagnosed is about 3 to 4 years. These tumors become less common as children grow older. They're very rare in adults.
Wilms tumors are slightly more common in girls than in boys. The risk of Wilms tumor is slightly higher in Black children than in White children and is lower among Asian American children.
Statistics related to survival for Wilms tumors are discussed in Survival Rates for Wilms Tumors.
Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2020. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society; 2020.
Fernandez CV, Geller JI, Ehrlich PF, et al. Chapter 24: Renal Tumors. In: Blaney SM, Adamson PC, Helman LJ, eds. Pizzo and Poplack’s Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2021.
National Cancer Institute. Wilms Tumor and Other Childhood Kidney Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version. 2024. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/kidney/hp/wilms-treatment-pdq on November 21, 2024.
Smith V, Chintagumpala M. Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and staging of Wilms tumor. UpToDate. 2024. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-presentation-diagnosis-and-staging-of-wilms-tumor on November 21, 2024.
Last Revised: January 21, 2025
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