Most benign tumors are not harmful, and are unlikely to affect other parts of the body. However, they can cause pain or other problems if they press against nerves or blood vessels or trigger the overproduction of hormones, as in the endocrine system.
Benign tumors are not usually problematic. However, they can become large and compress structures nearby, causing pain or other medical complications. For example, a large benign lung tumor could compress the trachea (windpipe) and cause difficulty in breathing.
Benign tumors, while sometimes painful and potentially dangerous, don't pose the same threat as malignant tumors. While benign tumors generally don't invade and spread, malignant cells are more likely to metastasize, or travel to other areas of the body. They also grow faster.
A benign tumor is not a malignant tumor, which is cancer. It does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body the way cancer can. In most cases, the outlook with benign tumors is very good. But benign tumors can be serious if they press on vital structures such as blood vessels or nerves.
Even though most benign tumors are harmless and can be left alone, it's important they be monitored. And any tumor that is painful or growing requires a visit to the doctor.
“Most benign tumors aren't life-threatening. They can be left alone as they are unlikely to cause damage to any other areas of your body. In fact, many individuals carry benign tumors that don't require treatment, such as moles, throughout their lives.”
If the benign tumor is small, not growing and not causing any harm to the patient, it can be left alone. Even benign tumors in or around the brain only need to be removed if they are causing, or are likely to cause, neurological problems.
Chronic stress can activate the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system, cause the release of endocrine hormones and promote the occurrence and development of tumors.
Additionally, it is possible that a biopsy could identify precancerous cells or miss an area of tissue in which cancerous cells are more prevalent. In any of these scenarios, a lump that was initially believed to be benign could later be identified as malignant after it further grows and develops.
A benign tumor is not malignant. It grows more slowly, has even borders and doesn't spread to other parts of your body. Many benign tumors don't require treatment.
Your oncologist plays an important role in your overall wellness. This medical professional can identify whether you have a tumor and diagnose if it is benign or malignant. If it is malignant, it has cancer and poses risks to your health.
Treatment often involves surgery. Benign tumors usually don't grow back.
What can you do? “Unfortunately, a CT scan is unable to show whether a nodule is benign or not,” says Dr. Wong. “It is important to be proactive about a nodule because earlier detection of lung cancer can make a huge difference in the outcome.”
MRI is very good at zeroing in on some kinds of cancers. By looking at your body with MRI, doctors may be able to see if a tumor is benign or cancerous. According to the World Health Organization, survival rates for many types of cancer are significantly higher with early detection.
Neurofibromatosis (NF), a type of phakomatosis or syndrome with neurological and cutaneous manifestations, is a rare genetic disorder that typically causes benign tumors of the nerves and growths in other parts of the body, including the skin.
Benign means it is not cancer. Benign tumours: usually grow quite slowly. don't spread to other parts of the body.
Chronic stress also increases the production of certain growth factors that increase your blood supply. This can speed the development of cancerous tumors, he adds.
Stress can alter the levels of certain hormones in your body. This may also put you at greater risk of developing cancer. Stress may lead to unhealthy behaviours. Overeating, smoking and heavy drinking are all lifestyle factors that increase cancer risk.
The smaller the tumor on a radiograph the more likely it is to be benign as 80% of lung nodules less than 2 cm in diameter are benign. Most benign nodules are smoothed radiopaque densities with clear margins but these are not exclusive signs of benign tumors.
Many benign and malignant tumors can be treated with minimally invasive techniques, which usually avoid the pain, discomfort and longer recovery times of traditional surgery. These procedures may require only limited anesthesia and can be a viable option for many individuals who are not candidates for surgery.
Most patients are able to resume normal activity levels and return to work in six to 12 weeks.
When a benign tumor requires treatment, it isn't too different from the treatment of a malignant or cancerous tumor. It may be radiation therapy, radiosurgery for benign tumors located in the skull base, surgery or chemotherapy.
Conventional chemotherapy is occasionally used to shrink non-cancerous brain tumours or kill any cells left behind after surgery. Radiotherapy involves using controlled doses of high-energy radiation, usually X-rays, to kill the tumour cells. Chemotherapy is less frequently used to treat non-cancerous brain tumours.
They can feel firm or soft. Benign masses are more likely to be painful to the touch, such as with an abscess. Benign tumors also tend to grow more slowly, and many are smaller than 5 cm (2 inches) at their longest point. Sarcomas (cancerous growths) more often are painless.