Imaging of abdominal tumors in childhood and adolescence : PartII: relevant intra-abdominal and retroperitoneal tumor entities

Abstract

Abdominal and pelvic tumors in children and adolescents can be manifested intra-abdominally and also often in the retroperitoneum. The most important pediatric primary retroperitoneal space-occupying lesions are nephroblastoma (Wilms' tumor) and neuroblastoma, whereby imaging plays a decisive role in the diagnostics and differentiation of the two entities. Benign tumors of the mesentery and gastrointestinal tract occur more frequently in children than malignant lesions. The benign entities include lipoma, polyps and vascular tumors, such as lymphatic malformations. Of the malignant sarcomas, abdominal rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) occur relatively often in childhood and adolescence. The most frequent pediatric abdominal lymphoma is Burkitt's lymphoma, an aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Relevant tumor entities in childhood are also germ cell tumors, which originate from the genitals (gonadal) or can be extragonadally manifested. The benignancy or malignancy of germ cell tumors ranges from benign teratomas to highly malignant entities, such as yolk sac tumors. The germ cell tumors, just as all pediatric abdominal mass lesions, show a broad spectrum of tumor aggressiveness, malignancy and therefore also prognosis and mortality for the affected children and adolescents.