Benign and Malignant Tumors: What is the Difference?

Benign and Malignant Tumors: What is the Difference?

Bening-versus-Malignant
When you are diagnosed with a tumor, there is an instant response emotionally, mentally, and even physically. Terror is a common reaction to the word “tumor” – whether it is benign or malignant.

The difference between the two types of tumors – non-cancerous and cancerous –  is important.

Understanding what makes a growth benign or malignant is to recognize your prognosis, the various steps you’ll have to take to correct the imbalance that caused it, and what it could mean regarding your future health. All tumors share certain characteristics; they are cells your body does not need and old or damaged cells are not destroyed when they should be. Let’s begin with the basic definitions.

Benign Tumor
A benign tumor is not a cancerous tumor. Unlike cancer tumors, a non cancerous tumor is unable to spread throughout the body. A non malignant tumor can be serious if they are pressing a primary nerve, a main artery, or compresses brain matter. Overall, benign tumors respond well to treatment and the prognosis is usually favorable.

Some suspected causes of benign tumors include a traumatic injury at the tumor location, chronic inflammation (or long-term stress that leads to inflammation), an undetected infection, or diet.

Most Common Types of Benign Tumors
Adenomas (epithelial tissue that covers the organs and glands)
Meningiomas (brain and spinal cord)
Fibromas or fibroids (connective tissue of any organ – most commonly found in the uterus)
Papillomas (skin, breast, cervix, and mucus membranes)
Lipomas (fat cells)
Nevi (moles)
Myomas (muscle tissue)
Hemangiomas (blood vessels and skin)
Neuromas (nerves)
Osteochondromas (bones)
Depending on the location and size of a benign tumor, treatment might not be necessary. Doctors will monitor it, track patient symptoms and do tests at specific intervals.
Benign tumors are often surrounded by a protective “sac” – a mechanism performed by your immune system – that segregates it from the rest of your body and enables it to be easily removed.

If you are diagnosed with a benign tumor, altering your diet to an anti-cancer regimen is sound advice. Some benign tumors can become malignant but it’s rare. Even when they are removed, your doctor will schedule regular tests periodically to ensure no additional tumors form (also a rare occurrence).

Malignant Tumor
If your doctor determines that you have a malignant tumor, that means the mass is cancerous. The word malignant is Latin for “badly born.” This type of tumor has the ability to multiply uncontrollably, to metastasize (spread) to various parts of the body and invade surrounding tissue.

Malignant tumors are formed from abnormal cells that are highly unstable and travel via the blood stream, circulatory system, and lymphatic system. Malignant cells do not have chemical adhesion molecules to anchor  them to the original growth site that benign tumors possess.

There are many suspected causes of cancer – some are widely accepted by the medical community while others are not. Obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, environmental pollution, heavy metal exposure, and household toxins are a few culprits that may lead to cancer in your body.

Most Common Types of Malignant Tumors
Sarcomas (connective tissues such as muscle, tendon, fat, and cartilage)
Carcinomas (organs and gland tissue such as the breast, cervix, prostate, lung, and thyroid)
Malignant tumors may not have symptoms initially and the first indication that something isn’t right may be the detection of a painless lump. These types of tumors are “elastic,” which enables them to grow fairly large before they are detected.

As they grow and begin to press against organs, blood vessels and nerves, pain and general soreness at the site may occur.

Pre-Cancerous Tumors
Precancerous tumors fall between benign and malignant. These types of growths have the markers to be malignant but are not yet apparent. They will not be characterized as malignant unless irrepressible cell growth ensues.

Prevention
The more you know about the stages of cancer and cancer prevention, the better you  can guard against all tumor growth in your body. Boosting your body’s immune system through diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle choices are your first line of defense. Explore some of the other articles here on The Truth About Cancer for more information about cancer-proofing your body!