Just wondering, is it possible for a tumor to be found both maligant & benign simataneously? A coworker of mine said he found out he had a tumor that is both after a biopsy and that it's very rare and has only been found in about 7 people since the 1970s. Has anyone else heard of this? I tried Google but didn't find much.
2007-02-14 16:01:58 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
it isn't possible. The tumor is either benign or malignant. They are opposites. Saying a tumor can be both is like saying a daisy can sometimes be a rose and a daisy at the same time.
2007-02-14 16:05:48 · answer #1 · answered by Jesse C 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No it can not be benign and malignant simultaneously. For this you should understand the differences between the two. Read-
What is the difference between a benign and malignant tumour?
A tumour develops when a group of cell escape from the normal orderly process of cell division and begin to multiply in an uncontrolled way. After a time enough of these abnormal cells will been produced to form a lump, which is called a growth or a tumour.
Tumours may be either benign or malignant. The two important differences between benign and malignant tumours are invasion and spread.
As they grow benign tumours simply push the surrounding normal tissues and organs out of their way. Sometimes pressure from a benign tumour may damage surrounding structures but the benign tumour never actually invades into those structures. By contrast malignant tumours eat into and destroy the normal tissue around them as they increase in size. This means that in some parts of the body benign tumours can grow quite large without causing any problems whereas a malignant tumour damages the tissue around it from the time it first begins to grow.
Benign tumours do not spread. They may grow to a large size but they do not go to other parts of the body. Malignant tumours have the ability to spread by sending off seedlings of tumour which can pass through the blood or lymphatic system to other parts of the body. These seedlings then settle in other organs and form what are called secondary tumours or metastases.
Whilst all malignant tumours have the ability to spread, different tumours vary in the speed with which they do so. Some aggressive malignant tumours begin to spread when they are very very small whilst other slow growing malignant tumours only spread very late in their lives. This means that many malignant tumours are discovered and treated before they have actually had the chance to form secondary tumours.
The word cancer only applies to malignant tumours. There is no such thing as a benign cancer. So, by definition, all cancers are malignant tumours.
The difference between benign and malignant tumours has nothing to do with frequency - in some organs of the body benign tumours are much more common than cancers, nor does it have anything to do with size, some benign tumours can be very large whilst many cancers are quite small.
There are many hundred different types of benign tumour that may develop in our bodies and also several hundred different types of malignant tumour that can occur. These different types of benign and malignant tumours behave in different ways but the fundamental rule that benign tumours never invade or spread always applies-
2007-02-15 07:14:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What triggers the cancer nobody knows but sometimes a tumor which is benign in the begining could have become malignant subsequently and that is the reason that even benign tumors are surgically removed to prevent such an occurance.
2007-02-15 04:01:07 · answer #3 · answered by ssmindia 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Considering that the terms are contradictory, I'd say no. Benign means harmless and malignant means harmful.
2007-02-15 00:09:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Defintions are very hazy....ask the doctor what he means. a malignant tumor strictly speaking is one that spreads and can be life threatenting. a bening is not life threatening. a tumor may not spread and still be life threatening...or may spread and be harmless.
2007-02-15 00:15:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
it has to be one of the other. its either cancer or it isn't. benign, not cancerous. malignant, cancerous. hes full of crap
2007-02-15 00:06:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sounds weird. I always thought it was one or the other.
2007-02-15 05:51:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anthony F 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Bening means harmless.
Malignant means harmfull.
You tell me, can it be both?
Sheesh!
2007-02-15 06:13:59 · answer #8 · answered by Doc 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
no its either one or the other!
2007-02-15 00:05:00 · answer #9 · answered by Desperate Mummy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
anything is posible
2007-02-15 00:05:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋