A 42-year-old member asked:
hi guys. can anyone tell me what are malignant and non malignant cancers?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Joseph Marra answered
Radiology 29 years experience
Malignant vs. benign: In the pure definition, cancer, is generally considered to be "malignant", meaning having the ability to not only grow abnormally, but to invade other tissue types and spread. Sometimes we describe a tumor (a growth of cells) as either "malignant" (a type of cancer) or benign (which is non-malignant or non-cancerous). An example might be a fibroid or leiomyoma of the uterus, usually benign.
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A 30-year-old member asked:
What does it mean for cancer to be malignant?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
A Verified Doctor answered
A US doctor answered Learn more
Lethal: Malignant implies that it becomes progressively worse and leads to death. So it is potentially lethal.
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A 48-year-old member asked:
Does smoking make a benign cancer turn malignant?
2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
A Verified Doctor answered
A US doctor answered Learn more
Yes: Smoking increases risk for oral, neck, lung, esophageal, bladder cancers.
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A 35-year-old member asked:
If a person has a history of benign cancer, are they more likely to develop malignant tumors?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gurmukh Singh answered
Pathology 49 years experience
Unclear question: Some benign tumors predispose to malignant tumors, e.g. Colon polyps, and moles. Most benign tumors do not become malignant. There is no such entity as benign cancer.
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A 29-year-old member asked:
What is the difference between maligant vs benign cancer?
2 doctor answers • 7 doctors weighed in
A Verified Doctor answered
A US doctor answered Learn more
Cancer: Lipoma is a bening tumor (no effect on mortality. You cannot die from it).
Colon-testicular cancers are malignant cancers (you may survive and get cured, or you could die from it).
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A 41-year-old member asked:
Does smoking turn a benign cancer malignant?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Joseph Woods answered
Pathology 28 years experience
It probably can.: There are many times when smoking, often in combination with alcohol, can cause tumors, and make tumors more malignant, like esophageal cancer and lung cancer. Passive, or second-hand smoking, can increase risk of cancers, like lung, breast, and renal. Smoking has been shown to be a promoter of many cancers like lung, anal, and pancreatic. It interferes with apoptosis or death of cancer cells.
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Last updated May 26, 2020
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