What Is a Solid Tumor and What Types Are There?

An award-winning oncologist and hematologist, Kenneth D. Nahum, DO, has been practicing medicine for more than three decades. Committed to helping patients receive the most efficient treatment, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum regularly completes clinical research into a range of medical issues, including solid tumors.

Abnormal masses of cells that do not contain liquid or cysts, solid tumors are often found in the organs, muscles, and bones and may be either cancerous or benign. Along with cancers in the blood, or hematological cancers, solid tumor cancers are the second main type of cancer diagnosed by physicians.

There are two main types of solid tumors, both of which are frequently treated with surgery: carcinomas and sarcomas.

Carcinomas are solid tumors that develop in the epithelial cells within the body’s glands, skin, and lining of the organs. Many cancers found in the uterus, bladder, and kidneys are forms of carcinomas. For example, adrenocortical carcinoma, which grows in the adrenal glands, is one common form of these tumors.

Meanwhile, sarcomas primarily affect the lymph and blood vessels, tendons, muscles, fat tissue, and bones. Due to the variety of locations in which they can grow, sarcomas come in various forms, such as rhabdomyosarcoma and osteosarcoma. These two cancers affect the soft tissues around muscles and bones, respectively.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Features Four Research Centers

A hematologist and oncologist with a distinguished 30-year medical career, Kenneth D. Nahum was voted a Top Doctor four times by New Jersey Monthly magazine. Currently treating patients at Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) in Howell, NJ, Kenneth D. Nahum also teaches at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Encompassing 20 academic departments across two New Jersey campuses, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University features several well-known research centers that help pioneer advances in biotechnology, occupational health, children’s health, cardiovascular treatment, and more.

At the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, faculty examine new approaches to treatment through research in developmental biology, molecular genetics, and structural biology. The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute studies the health impacts of chemical exposure in order to drive public health policy improvements.

The Child Health Institute of New Jersey, also part of the medical school, focuses on combating childhood illnesses through comprehensive biomedical and molecular genetics research. Lastly, Robert Wood Johnson’s Cardiovascular Institute drives developments in cardiovascular care through clinical trials, cardiovascular pharmacology, biomedical engineering, and other treatment and research strategies.

A Brief Overview of HER2

Award-winning physician Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum practices hematology and oncology at Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) in New Jersey. Working in medicine for more than 30 years, Dr. Kenneth D. Nahum has treated, managed, and studied dozens of conditions, including HER2 breast cancer.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, also known as HER2, is a growth-promoting protein created by the HER2 gene. Normally, HER2 proteins rest on breast cells and act as receptors. They help healthy breast cells divide, grow, and repair. 

However, the HER2 gene sometimes malfunctions and makes too many copies of itself. As a result, too many HER2 proteins are created, and the breast cells divide and grow uncontrollably. 

The presence of HER2 proteins promotes the rapid growth and spread of breast cancer. Because of this, HER2 protein levels are usually tested.

When the test comes up with a result of 0 to 1+, the cancer is said to be HER2-negative. These cancers will not respond to treatments that specifically target HER2 genes and proteins. A rating of 3+ means the cancer is HER2-positive and can be treated with drugs that target this particular protein.