Solid Tumors

Solid Tumers

A tumor is an abnormal clump of cells. When your child has a solid tumor, that means the tumor doesn't contain any liquid or cysts.

Solid Tumors can occur in several places. They include:

  • Bones
  • Muscles
  • Organs

Not all Tumors are cancer. A tumor that does not have any cancer cells is called benign. A tumor with cancer cells is called malignant.

Major types of solid Tumors

  • 1. Two major types of solid Tumors are sarcomas and carcinomas. Many types of solid Tumors, whether a sarcoma or a carcinoma, are often treated with surgery.

  • Sarcomas are Tumors in a blood vessel, bone, fat tissue, ligament, lymph vessel, muscle or tendon. There are many types of sarcomas. They include:

    • Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma, which are bone cancer sarcomas.
    • Rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a soft tissue sarcoma found in muscles.

  • 2. Carcinomas are Tumors that form in epithelial cells. Epithelial cells are found in the skin, glands and the linings of organs. Those organs includes the bladder, ureters and part of the kidneys.

    • One common carcinoma is adrenocortical carcinoma. This is when a tumor develops in one or both adrenal glands, located above each kidney.

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Common Pediatric Solid Tumor Cancers

Solid Tumors make up about 30% of all cancers in children. The most common type of solid tumor found in children is a brain tumor. After brain Tumors, the most common types are:

Neuroblastoma

A cancer usually found in the belly. This type of cancer occurs in infants and young children.

Wilms tumor

A cancer found in one or both kidneys. This type of cancer is found in children about 3 to 4 years old.

Rhabdomyosarcoma

Cancer found in skeletal muscle cells. It can occur almost anywhere in the body.

Retinoblastoma

Cancer found in the eye. This cancer occurs in children around age 2

Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma most often occurs near the joint of a leg or arm bone of teens

Ewing Sarcoma

Ewing sarcoma is most common in the hip, middle of the long leg bones, ribs or shoulder blades in young teens.

Signs and Symptoms of Solid Tumors:

Symptoms of malignant solid tumors often include:

Weight loss

Fatigue.

Headaches

Swelling or a mass that can be palpated.

Fever or vague feelings of ill health.

Lack of appetite or unexplained weight loss.

Fever or nights sweats

Vision or hearing problems

Mouth changes such as sores, bleeding, pain, or numbness.

Swelling or lumps anywhere in the body

Thickening or lump in the breast or other part of the body

Cough or hoarseness that does not go away

Eating problems such as not feeling hungry, trouble swallowing, belly pain, or nausea and vomiting

Pain, especially new or with no known reason, that doesn’t go away or gets worse

Skin changes such as a lump that bleeds or turns scaly, a new mole or a change in a mole, a sore that does not heal, or a yellowish color to the skin or eyes (jaundice).

Risk Factors:

They are believed to be the result of a combination of factors, including:

Age-mutations, which may accumulate with repeated cellular divisions

Carcinogens, like asbestos, tobacco smoke, radiation, or industrial chemicals

Certain viruses like the human papillomavirus, hepatitis, or Epstein-Barr virus

Inflammatory conditions, like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis

Sun exposure

Diagnosis of Solid Tumors

To diagnose solid tumors and determine if they are benign or malignant and at what stage they are, physicians order several tests:

X-ray
Mammogram
CT Scanning
Biopsy
Endoscopy
PET Scanning
MRI and Ultrasound

These tests help provide a definitive diagnosis of the type of solid tumor and its stage

Treatment typically includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or a combination of these:

The treatment of solid tumors depends on the type of tumor, its stage, and the patient’s overall health. The most common treatment options for solid tumors include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
Surgery is the most common treatment for solid tumors and involves removing the tumor from the body. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells and is often used in combination with surgery. Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells and is often used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. Targeted therapy uses drugs that target specific proteins or genes that help cancer cells grow and divide. Immunotherapy uses drugs that help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
In addition to these treatments, there are also several clinical trials underway to develop new treatments for solid tumors. These trials are testing new drugs, drug combinations, and treatment approaches to improve outcomes for patients with solid tumors.

Causes of Solid Tumors include:

Hereditary factors

Sun exposure

Carcinogens, like asbestos, tobacco smoke, radiation, or industrial chemicals

Certain viruses like the human papillomavirus, hepatitis, or Epstein-Barr virus

Inflammatory conditions, like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis

Tumors in humans occur as a result of accumulated genetic and epigenetic alterations within single cells, which cause the cell to divide and expand uncontrollably

What are the risk factors for Tumors?

Tumors affect people of all ages, including children. Factors that increase the chances of developing a tumor include:

Gene mutations (changes), such as mutated BRCA (breast cancer) genes.

Inherited conditions, such as Lynch Syndrom and Neurofibromatosis (NFS).

Family history of certain types of cancer like Breast cancer or Prostate Cancer.

Smoking including exposure to Second hand Smoke.

Exposure to toxins like benzene or asbestos.

Previous radiation exposure

Viruses like HPV.

Having Obesity.