Differences Between a Malignant and Benign Tumor

If you have been diagnosed with a tumor, the first step your healthcare provider will take is to find out whether it is malignant or benign. This will affect your treatment plan. Put simply, malignant means cancerous and benign means noncancerous.

This article will discuss how either diagnosis affects your health.

What Is a Tumor?

A tumor is an abnormal lump or growth of cells. Sometimes a tumor is made up of cells that aren't a threat to invade other tissues. This is considered benign.

When the cells are abnormal and can grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body, they are cancerous cells. That means the tumor is malignant. This spreading process is called metastasis.

To determine whether a tumor is benign or cancerous, a healthcare provider can take a sample of the cells with a biopsy procedure. Then a pathologist, a doctor who specializes in examining tissues, will run tests on the cells. This includes looking at the sample under a microscope.

Benign Tumors: Noncancerous

If the cells are not cancerous, the tumor is benign. A benign tumor is less worrisome unless it is:

• Pressing on nearby tissues, nerves, or blood vessels
• Causing damage 

Fibroids in the uterus or lipomas are examples of benign tumors.

Doctors may need to remove benign tumors through surgery. These tumors can grow very large, sometimes weighing pounds. They can also be dangerous. Dangerous benign tumors may occur in the brain and crowd the normal structures in the enclosed space of the skull. They can press on vital organs or block channels.

Some types of benign tumors, such as intestinal polyps, are considered precancerous. They are removed to prevent them from becoming malignant. Benign tumors usually don't come back once removed. But if they do, they return to the same place.

Malignant Tumors: Cancerous

Malignant means that the tumor is made of cancer cells. These cells can invade nearby tissues. Some cancer cells can move into the bloodstream or lymph nodes. From there, they can spread to other tissues within the body.

Cancer can occur anywhere in the body, including the following areas:

• Breast
• Intestines
• Lungs
• Reproductive organs
• Blood
• Skin

Differences Between Benign and Malignant Tumors

Most malignant tumors grow rapidly, and most benign ones do not. But there are examples of both slow-growing cancerous tumors and noncancerous ones that grow quickly.

The main differences between the two types of tumors are clear and consistent. Here's a snapshot of the main ones:

Can a Benign Tumor Turn Malignant?

Some types of benign tumors only very rarely transform into malignant tumors. But some types, such as adenomatous polyps or adenomas in the colon have a greater risk of transforming into cancer. That is why polyps are removed during a colonoscopy. Removing them is one way of preventing colon cancer.

It's not always clear-cut whether a tumor is benign or malignant. And your healthcare provider may use several different factors to diagnose it as one or the other. You may end up with an uncertain diagnosis.

Also, it is possible that a biopsy finds precancerous cells or misses the area where there are more cancerous cells. In these cases, what was thought to be benign might turn out to be malignant as it further grows and develops.

What Your Tumor Diagnosis Means

If you have been diagnosed with a malignant tumor, your oncologist (cancer doctor) will devise a treatment plan with you based on the stage of cancer. Early-stage cancers haven't spread much, if at all. Later-stage cancers have spread to more areas of the body.

Determining the stage of cancer may require:

• Biopsies
• Surgery
• Imaging tests

Once the cancer stage is determined, you can proceed with treatment.

If you have been diagnosed with a benign tumor, your doctor will provide reassurance that you do not have cancer. Depending on the type of benign tumor, your doctor may recommend observation or removal for cosmetic or health purposes. For instance, the tumor may be affecting an important organ in your body.

Summary

When your doctor diagnoses you with a tumor, they will first determine if it's benign or malignant. Benign tumors are noncancerous. Malignant tumors are cancerous.

Once your doctor determines what type of tumor you have, they can decide what treatment plan is best. If you have a malignant tumor, your doctor will devise treatment depending on the stage of cancer you have.

A Word From Verywell

Being diagnosed with a tumor can cause a huge amount of anxiety. Be sure to discuss your concerns with your healthcare provider and ask whether there are any support groups that you can join. And remember, the earlier that you or your healthcare provider detects a lump, the more likely the tumor is treatable. So if you notice something unusual on your body, don't wait to tell your healthcare provider.