Abstract

Background: Nephroblastoma, also known as Wilms’ tumor, is the most common malignant renal tumor in childhood. Nephroblastoma is an embryonal tumor consisting of blastemal, stromal and epithelial elements. The median age for the diagnosis of nephroblastoma is 3.5 years. Occurrence beyond 5 years of age is rare. Treatment of nephroblastoma is multimodal.
Case report: We report an unusual case of Nephroblastoma with spinal metastasis in a 12 year old Nigerian female. The patient presented to us with 8 week history of left sided abdominal mass, 7 week history of abdominal pain and 6 day history of inability to walk, all prior to presentation. She had nephroureterectomy and chemotherapy. Histology of the specimen confirmed nephroblastoma and spinal magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal metastasis.
Conclusion: Nephroblastoma can occur in an adolescent with an uncommon site of metastasis to the spine.

Keywords

nephroblastoma, wilms, adolescent, metastasis, spine, surgery, chemotherapy, blastemal, stromal, epithelial, abdominal mass, upper limbs