Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The term benign is used to describe both medical conditions and tumors, and
usually refers to a process that's not especially dangerous.
For example, a benign increase in blood pressure would be an increase that's
not dangerous, and a benign heart murmur (also called an innocent heart
murmur) would be a heart murmur that probably causes very few problems in
terms of sickness or the potential for death. A benign tumor or mass is one
that may be a nuisance, but does not usually result in death.
Uterine fibroids are a common benign tumor frequently found in women who
areperimenopausal. Benign tumors grow locally but do not have the ability to
spread to other regions of the body.
The term malignant is often used synonymously with the word dangerous in
medicine. While it usually refers to a cancerous tumor, it may be used to
describe other medical conditions. For example, malignant
hypertension (malignant high blood pressure) refers to blood pressure that is
dangerously high, and malignant tumors (cancerous tumors) are those that
have the ability to spread to other regions of the body either locally, via the
bloodstream, or through the lymphatic system.
Ads
Hospital of breast cancer
moderncancerhospital.com.my
International Cancer Hospital, Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou!
Kidney Failure
www.kidneydoctors.org
New treatment for kidney failure. Except dialysis or transplantation.
Both can grow quite large. Size alone does not make the distinction
between these types of tumors. In fact, benign ovarian tumors weighing over a
hundred pounds have been removed.
Both can be dangerous at times. While benign tumors tend to be
more of a nuisance, they can, in some cases, be life threatening. An example
is benign brain tumors. When these tumors grow in the enclosed space of the
brain, they can put pressure on, and destroy other brain structures, resulting in
paralysis, speech problems, seizures, and even death. Some benign tumors,
such as pheochromocytomas, secrete hormones that can cause lifethreatening symptoms as well.
Both can recur locally. If cells are left over after surgery, both benign
and malignant tumors may later recur near the region of the original tumor.
Site of recurrence - While benign tumors may recur locally that is,
near the site of the original tumor malignant tumors may recur at distant
sites, such as the the brain, lungs, bones and liver, depending on the type of
cancer.
Death toll - Benign tumors cause around 13,000 deaths per year in the
United States. The number of deaths that can be blamed on malignant
(cancerous) tumors is over 575,000.
Areas of Confusion
There are times when it's difficult to know whether a tumor is benign or
malignant, and this can be very confusing and frightening if it is you that is
living with one of these tumors. Physicians often make the distinction between
cancerous and non-cancerous tumors under the microscope, and sometimes
the differences are very subtle. Sometimes doctors have to use other clues,
such as where the tumor is located, its rate of growth, and other findings, to
try and make the distinction.
In addition, some benign tumors can become malignant tumors over
time. Some benign tumors very rarely become malignant tumors, whereas
other benign tumors frequently transform into malignant tumors. An example
of this is adenomatous polpys (adenomas) in the colon. By themselves, these
are benign and not dangerous. But over time, they may transform into a colon
cancer. Removal of adenomas in order to reduce the risk of developingcolon