A tumour is defined as an abnormal mass of tissue which can be full of fluid, or be entirely solid. Also known as Neoplasm, tumours do not necessarily mean cancer. There are three different types of tumours – benign (not cancerous), malignant (cancerous) or pre-malignant (pre-cancerous). Each of these types and subcategories are named specifically after the kind of tissue they appear in, or their shape.
How are Tumours Named?
The most popular way tumours are named is according to which part of the body they grow in or begin from (like breast cancer). Sometimes, they are named after the type of tissue or cell they originate from.
A majority of benign tumours and a few malignant tumours will have the suffix ‘oma’ at the end of their name. When a benign tumour and a malignant tumour share names, ‘sarcoma’ and ‘carcinoma’ are used to identify them. Like in the case of Fatty Tissue tumours, benign ones are called ‘lipoma’ while the malignant one is called ‘liposarcoma’.
What are Benign Tumours?
These tumours are non-cancerous and they rarely cause any serious medical complications or threaten one’s life span until and unless they grow inside a vital organ, or show a growth which is large enough to spread to the tissues nearby. They have a tendency to grow slowly and they generally stay put, meaning they very rarely spread to other parts of the body.
After surgery has been performed and they have been removed, benign tumours do not come back and remain non-cancerous, except in rare cases.
What are Malignant Tumours?
These tumours are cancerous in nature, which can start off in any one of the countless cells that resides within our body, thus making it nearly impossible to locate the exact source or time of the beginning of the cancer. Cancer cells have known to function and grow differently than normal cells, and their nucleus is different in appearance and size too as compared to the nucleus of normal cells.
Malignant tumours come in different shapes and sizes. They are known to grow at an abnormal and uncontrolled rate. These tumours can expand and grow upon or inside nearby tissues or vessels, thus interfering with the function of said cells or organs, potentially becoming life threatening.
In some cases, the cells from these tumours break off and will spread to other parts of the body (this process is known as metastasizing). This type of cancer is called Metastatic Cancer. These tumours are recurring – meaning they can come back even after being removed surgically or after destroying the cancer causing cells.
What are Pre-cancerous Tumours?
Just as the name suggests, these cells have the possibility of developing into cancer if they are not treated in time. They display abnormal cell growth. Many cells show minor changes and might eventually disappear without any treatment. Others are known to multiply and grow till they turn into cancer.
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