Solid Tumor

Solid Tumor General Information

The clinical term “tumor” does not necessarily imply the presence of a cancerous disorder, as some tumors are of a benign type (a non-cancerous type). When it comes to cancerous tumors, the medical phrase “Solid Tumor” is widely employed to define a solid collection of cancerous cells (which present an abnormally high growth rate) – distinguishing such tumors from non-solid cancerous disorders (such as leukemia – cancer of the blood). After studying such medical conditions, scientists have been able to differentiate between various kinds of Solid Tumors. The name of the tumor often comes from the type of cells that can be found in it.

The most common tumors of a solid nature include lymphomas (in such cases, the cancer affects the organism’s lymphoid organs – the thymus, the spleen, the lymph nodes, and so on; however, it is known that this type of disorder can also affect the body’s fighting cells, which are produced by the thymus; as these cells can be found in almost all body parts, a patient may develop a lymphoma of a wide range of organs). Another common type of cancer is defined by the presence of a carcinoma (in which the cancerous cells are found in the patient’s epithelial cells and / or glandular cells), or that of a sarcoma (in such cases, the disorder affects the patient’s muscles, bones, and so on). Almost anyone can be affected by a certain type of a cancerous medical condition. This type of disorder may start during the patient’s childhood, adulthood, and also during old age.

Solid Tumor Symptoms

Although in most cases, the presence of a cancerous medical disorder (that of a Solid Tumor) triggers some specific clinical manifestations, clinical cases in which the cancer was asymptomatic (at least in its early stages) have been reported. The symptoms that a patient who is suffering from cancer may develop depend on the type of cancer that the individual presents (lymphoma, sarcoma or carcinoma) and on the location of the tumor. In the case of lymphomas (a specific type of Solid Tumors), the patient may develop painless swelling of the groin, armpit and / or neck (due to the inflammation of the peripheral lymph nodes). Non-Hodgkin lymphomas may trigger the following clinical manifestations: swelling of the neck, swelling of the face, difficulties in breathing and / or swallowing, abdominal pain, and so on.

The main symptoms that may be triggered by the presence of a brain tumor (a severe form of a Solid Tumor) include: vomiting, morning headaches, seizures, behavior problems, irritability, clumsiness, lethargy, changes in the patient’s regular sleeping and / or eating habits.A patient who is suffering from neuroblastoma is prone to developing abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, and so on, while Wilm’s tumor (cancer of the kidney) determines the presence of bloody urine, loss of appetite, fever, abdominal pain, swelling in the abdominal area.

A correct diagnosis of the disorder can only be set after the patient has undergone a set of clinical evaluations. Most medical tests require a sample of the individual’s tissue which is suspected to be affected by a certain type of Solid Tumor. Among the most common techniques that are employed in order to obtain such a sample are: surgical biopsy, needle biopsy, and so on.

Solid Tumor Treatment

The proper treatment option that should be employed against the patient’s Solid Tumor is known to depend on the location, size and type of the cancerous tumor. The individual’s general health condition is also a very important factor that ought to be taken into consideration when the health care provider chooses the proper therapy against this clinical illness.
One of the most common therapy options that are employed in the fight against cancerous medical disorders is chemotherapy. It is widely used in order to effectively eliminate the cancerous cells from the patient’s organism (in some cases, a chemotherapy trial proves to be very effective even if the cancer is widespread). Other advantages of this treatment include: an ease of the patient’s symptoms, prolonging of the individual’s life (by keeping the tumor’s spread and / or growth under strict control) and enhancing the individual’s quality of life.

Patients who are suffering from Hodgkin’s disease generally undergo radiation therapy, as this treatment option has proved to be highly effective against this type of Solid Tumor. For this reason, radiotherapy is the main therapy option for most individuals who have been diagnosed with this disorder. However, patients with Hodgkin’s disease may also undergo chemotherapy and even one or more surgical procedures if their personal health care provider considers it necessary. The therapy of most brain tumors depends on the type of tumor that the individual presents. In most cases, radiation therapy and / or surgery are employed. Some patients are prescribed a therapy with anticancer medicines (wither in their oral or IV form) that are able to penetrate the central nervous system (including the brain).

In the case of patients with neuroblastoma (a common Solid Tumor), the main therapy option includes the surgical approach in which the physician will remove as much as the tumor as he or she can. If not all of the cancerous formation has been removed during surgery, the patient will have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy. These therapy options can also be employed in order to prevent metastases. Wilm's tumor is one of the many cancerous Solid Tumors for which a complex therapy option that combines chemotherapy, radiation therapy and even surgery, is required. During the surgical procedure for this type of cancer the physician will generally remove the affected kidney and a part of the surrounding lymph nodes and tissue.

Almost all patients who have been diagnosed with the presence of this cancerous medical disorder (Wilm’s tumor) undergo chemotherapy. Besides chemotherapy, some medical products are able to inhibit a set of enzymes that enhance the growth and development of the cancer. The most common of these medicines is Imatinib (Gleevec); this medical product is widely employed in the therapy against gastrointestinal stromal tumors. For further information, seek professional assistance.