Question

Give four differences between benign and malignant tumors.

Answer 1

Tumor is a mass of cells formed by unrestricted cell division. The formation of tumors takes place by a process called neoplasm. Tumors can be formed anywhere in the body. Tumors can be of different types, such as benign, pro-malignant and malignant. These types of tumors differ in their nature of growth and mechanism of invasion of tissues.

Complete step by step answer: The word tumor originates from the Latin word for swelling. However, at present, a tumor is referred to as a mass of cells formed by neoplastic or unrestricted growth in cells. tumors are of three major types – benign, pro-malignant and malignant.
Benign tumors are localized growth of cells. They are non-cancerous in nature, while malignant tumors invade and destroy the surrounding tissue. Malignant tumors are cancerous.
The basic differences between benign and malignant tumors are listed below:

Basis of Difference	Benign tumor	Malignant tumor
Characteristics of the cells	Similar to the surrounding cells.	Different from the surrounding cells
Rate of growth	Slow	Rapid
Spread of the cells	Local	Invades the surrounding tissues
Recurrence after surgery	Does not recur after surgery	Recurs after surgery

Additional Information: Neoplasia is abnormal growth of cells. A process called metaplasia precedes neoplasia. Metaplasia is the process by which a differentiated cell transforms into another type of cell. Tumors are formed as a result of neoplasia. A cell divides by a process called cell division. The process is divided into synthetic and mitotic phases. In the synthetic phase, the chromosome content doubles and in the following mitotic phase the cell divides into daughter cells. The process is regulated by checkpoints. These checkpoints check the chromosomes for damage or mutations and functions to repair them. A cell enters neoplastic growth if it evades the checkpoints for mutation. Tumors are not synonymous with cancers. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Malignant tumors are cancerous in nature.

Note: : Tumors are abnormal growth of cells. It takes place by a process called Neoplasia. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors are noninvasive tumors that do not undergo recurring growth after surgery. They are localized and encapsulated. Malignant tumors, on the other hand, are cancerous. They are invasive growths that destroy the surrounding tissues. Malignant tumors are life threatening while benign tumors are not.