Renin producing Wilms' tumor

A 4-yr-old boy with Wilms' tumor, hypertension, and hyperreninemia is presented. Three times as much renin was extracted from tumor tissue as from adjacent renal parenchyma, suggesting that the tumor itself was the primary source of the renin and cause of the hypertension. Other reported cases of hypertension and increased renin production with Wilms' tumor are reviewed. Hypertension is a very frequent finding in patients presenting with Wilms' tumor. The possibility that many of these neoplasms may be found to hypersecrete renin if properly investigated is discussed.