THIS PAPER is the outcome of a study of the case histories of all infants and children with the final diagnosis of a retroperitoneal tumor admitted to the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital during the years 1936 to 1950.
Farber1 and others2 have recently discussed these tumors collectively, on the basis of the region of origin and certain common clinical findings. The latter aspect of the subject was particularly manifest as this survey progressed. Without the surgical report, or pathological findings, it was impossible to determine accurately the nature of the tumor in a majority of the cases studied. Since retroperitoneal growths form by far the most frequent abdominal tumor of childhood, they are often encountered by the general surgeon. With earlier diagnosis, and improved methods of treatment, cure can be anticipated in about one third of the cases (Wittenborg3; Neuhauser4). These facts have led to a