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.