What is the difference between metastatic and malignant

What are primary tumors? Previous Section Next Section. Condition Spotlight. Sugar and Health - the Sweet, the Sour, and the Sticky! Play Video How Can I Care for Myself? Clinical Trials for Cancer Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. Open Trials Closed Trials. Clinical Trials View All ». Cancer Genetics Program Stanford Cancer Center South Bay Stanford Medicine Cancer Center.

Clinical Trials. MyHealth Login. Financial Assistance. Medical Records. Contact Us. Video Visits. Get a Second Opinion. Healthcare Professionals. Referring Physicians. Allied Healthcare. About Us. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. 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, as this will affect your treatment plan.

In short, the meaning of malignant is cancerous and the meaning of benign is noncancerous. Learn more about how either diagnosis affects your health. A tumor is an abnormal lump or growth of cells. When the cells in the tumor are normal, it is benign.

Something just went wrong, and they overgrew and produced a lump. When the cells are abnormal and can grow uncontrollably, they are cancerous cells, and the tumor is malignant. To determine whether a tumor is benign or cancerous, a healthcare provider can take a sample of the cells with a biopsy procedure.

Then the biopsy is analyzed under a microscope by a pathologist, a healthcare provider specializing in laboratory science. If the cells are not cancerous, the tumor is benign. It won't invade nearby tissues or spread to other areas of the body metastasize. A benign tumor is less worrisome unless it is pressing on nearby tissues, nerves, or blood vessels and causing damage. Fibroids in the uterus or lipomas are examples of benign tumors.

Benign tumors may need to be removed by surgery. They can grow very large, sometimes weighing pounds. They can be dangerous, such as when they 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 and are removed to prevent them from becoming malignant. Benign tumors usually don't recur once removed, but if they do, it is usually in the same place.

Malignant means that the tumor is made of cancer cells , and it can invade nearby tissues. Some cancer cells can move into the bloodstream or lymph nodes, where they can spread to other tissues within the body—this is called metastasis. For example, breast cancer begins in the breast tissue and may spread to lymph nodes in the armpit if it's not caught early enough and treated. Once breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the cancer cells can travel to other areas of the body, like the liver or bones.

The breast cancer cells can then form tumors in those locations. A biopsy of these tumors might show characteristics of the original breast cancer tumor. Introduction to Grants Process.

NCI Grant Policies. Legal Requirements. Step 3: Peer Review and Funding Outcomes. Manage Your Award. Grants Management Contacts. Prior Approvals.

Annual Reporting and Auditing. Transfer of a Grant. Grant Closeout. Cancer Training at NCI. Resources for Trainees. Funding for Cancer Training. Building a Diverse Workforce. National Cancer Act 50th Anniversary Commemoration.

Resources for News Media. Media Contacts. Cancer Reporting Fellowships. Advisory Board Meetings. Social Media Events. Cancer Currents Blog. Contributing to Cancer Research. Strategic Planning. Principal Deputy Director's Page. Previous NCI Directors. NCI Frederick. Advisory Boards and Review Groups. NCI Congressional Justification. Current Congress. Committees of Interest.

Legislative Resources. Recent Public Laws. Search Search. Cancer Information Summaries. Adult Treatment. Pediatric Treatment. Cancer Screening.

Cancer Prevention. Cancer Genetics. Integrative Therapies. Adult Treatment Editorial Board. Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board.