What is a "solid" tumor?

[yodelady_7]

I've heard some ovarian cancer growths described as "sheets," or "veils," or single cells or clusters floating in abdominal or pleural fluid.  Are these still "solid tumor"?

My impression from reading is that only leukemia is not a solid tumor, but I can't find a source that says so in so many words.  This causes some confusion for us patients.  Sometimes a chemotherapy is described as targeting "solid tumors," and some patients assume if their ovarian cancer is growing in thin layers or dispersed fragments, it's not going to respond to a "solid tumor" chemo.

Could you give us a good laymen's definition, please?

(And thank you so much for being here.  It's great to be able to ask a doctor a question!)

[yodelady_7]

Thank you for your answer.  I agree, there is poetry to be found in the pathology!  ;-)

I think I did not make myself clear.  We patients often run across the term "solid tumor" in scientific sources about ovarian cancer. We see statements like, "carboplatin has proved a feasible alternative to cisplatin for the treatment of many solid tumors," or "This phase I trial is studying how well bevacizumab works in treating patients with advanced solid tumors."  

In discussions online and at my support group, I often hear people say, "My tumor wasn't solid, it was full of fluid," or "not solid, it burst," or "not solid, it's cells in my ascites."  When I was diagnosed I assumed all tumors looked like baseballs.  Or melons.

I think the doctors are talking about a broad way of classifying cancerous tumors, and one classification is "solid cancer."  The patients are talking about appearance, and about the descriptive poetry, as you pointed out.

The important thing to me is that I've heard people take a logical leap and say, "I won't apply for this trial because it's for solid tumors and mine is a veil," or "I don't want to take this chemo, it's only for solid tumors and I have microscopic nodules."

It's a picky point that causes unnecessary distraction.  But it can be dangerous.  

So to rephrase the question: Is ovarian cancer classified as a solid tumor?

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There
I am not sure how to answer your question

what you are writing here sounds like the way a microsopic pathology report is written
that is not really important clinically. That is just a description of how something looks under the microscope. Pathologists tend to get very poetic with their description
all that is important from my standpoint from a biopsy report is: is it cancer or is it benign
take care