Physician Health｜How to know if your tumor is benign or malignant?

People often feel a mass growing on a certain part of their body by accident, or accidentally find a lump or nodule in a certain part during a physical examination, and they start to worry about whether they have a tumor or cancer.

This idea is wrong.

Why do you say this way? When a mass or nodule grows on the body, it does not mean that it is a tumor, nor can it be said that it is cancer. Not all masses are tumors, such as inflammatory masses, hematomas, which are not tumors, but present as a mass. So we cannot judge whether it is a tumor or not just based on the mass.

If it is a tumor, is it cancer? Of course not, the two are not equivalent. The so-called tumor refers to the new organism formed by the proliferation of local tissue cells under the action of various tumorigenic factors. And the nature of this new creature is not the same, some are benign, some are malignant.

The difference between benign tumors and malignant tumors:

The biological characteristics of benign tumors and malignant tumors are obviously different, so their effects on the body are also different. The distinction between benign tumors and malignant tumors is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors.

1. Growth method:

Expansion and exophytic growth are more common in benign tumors. The former often have capsule formation, which is generally clearly demarcated with the surrounding tissue, so it can usually be promoted. Malignant tumors are infiltrative and exophytic growth, and the former has no capsule formation and is generally similar to the surrounding tissue. The demarcation is not clear, so it usually cannot be pushed, and the latter is accompanied by invasive growth.

Second, secondary changes:

Necrosis and hemorrhage are rare in benign tumors; necrosis, hemorrhage, and ulceration are common in malignant tumors.

3. Transfer:

Benign tumors do not metastasize; malignant tumors often metastasize.

Fourth, recurrence:

Benign tumors rarely recur after surgery; malignant tumors often recur after treatment such as surgery.

Five, the impact on the body:

Benign tumors are small and mainly cause local compression or obstruction, which can also cause serious consequences if they occur in important organs; malignant tumors are larger, in addition to compression and obstruction, they can also destroy the tissue at the primary and metastatic sites, causing necrosis and hemorrhage. infection, and even cause cachexia.

6. Nuclear fission image:

In benign tumors, mitotic figures are absent or rare, and no pathological mitotic figures are seen; in malignant tumors, mitotic figures are more common, and pathological mitotic figures can be seen.

7. Growth rate:

Benign tumors are slow; malignant tumors are faster.

However, if a tumor growing on the surface of the body is observed with the naked eye or an internal tumor that cannot be seen with the naked eye, it is generally observed through CT and other examinations whether it has been growing. If it has been growing, then it is likely to be a malignant tumor.

The above is only a rough analysis and judgment, not a diagnosis, whether it is a tumor, a benign tumor or a malignant tumor, and ultimately it must be confirmed by pathology.

What is a pathological diagnosis? To put it simply, it is to obtain the tumor tissue by means, and then the doctor of the pathology department observes the arrangement and shape of the tumor cells under the microscope, and what changes have occurred compared with the normal cells in the place where it originated.

Difference one:

Differences in growth rates. Benign tumors usually grow slowly, with some benign cases gradually decreasing or stopping; the relative tumor growth rate is relatively fast, even in a short period of time, and the cancer cells expand very rapidly.

Difference two:

difference between diffusivity. Benign tumors have a relatively low probability of metastasis or spread, and recurrence after surgical resection is relatively less likely, but cancer is different, it may be early non-spread, but if left untreated, there will be a surge of cancer cells, even through Blood, lymph nodes difficult for cancer metastasis to surrounding organs can be metastasized, will increase processing.

Difference three:

Connect with surrounding organizations. Usually a benign growth expansion, generally shrouded, with a clear demarcation with surrounding organs and tissues, rather than adhering to the surrounding tissue, allowing relatively good viability; and invasive tumor growth is usually uncoated, usually it violates the surrounding Tissues tend to stick together around the tissue, so relatively poor activity.

Difference four:

difference in symptoms. Metastasis and spread of tumors that are unlikely to be benign, consume relatively small bodies, may be asymptomatic, or occasionally compress surrounding organs or tissues and cause local discomfort. Diffuse malignant tumors, they can metastasize to other organs, often cause weight loss, pain, anemia and other symptoms, can seriously damage the bad environment inside the human body.

Sharing family doctors, authoritative doctors answer:

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l Dean Wu Hongsheng, an authoritative and famous doctor of physicians and family doctors (Honorary President of Xiu Chuan Medical Foundation Changbin Xiu Chuan Memorial Hospital): Medical care must be patient-centered, and cannot operate behind closed doors. There must be a good unit to integrate resources.

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