A ten year retrospective study of 34 cases of Wilms’ tumour in children is presented with 24 cases (70.5%) in the age group 0-5 years and a mean age of 4 years. A male: female ratio of 4.7:1 was seen. All the children presented with lump in abdomen, constitutional symptoms in addition were observed in 6 cases. Bilateral tumour was seen in 2 (5.8%) cases. A histocytomorphological correlation with regards to the differential diagnosis of small round cell tumours of childhood in abdominal cavity is discussed. The differential diagnosis of Wilms’ tumour includes malignant round cell tumours such as neuroblastoma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and other pediatric renal tumours such as mesoblastic nephroma, cystic nephroma, rhabdoid tumour and clear cell sarcoma. In cases with high clinical suspicion of Wilms’ tumour, where preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy are indicated, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) can act as a reliable diagnostic tool to complement the clinical diagnosis.

Journal of Cytology 2007; 24 (3) : 134-136

Key Words: Wilms’ tumour, small round cell tumour, FNAC.