Tumors | Neoplasm | Malignant Tumors | Benign Tumors

 

A tumor is generally a solid mass of tissue which forms due to abnormal cells grouping together. Tumors can affect bones, skin, tissue, organs and some other glands.Most tumors are benign which means non cancerous. But still benign tumors also need treatment. Malignant tumors will be life-threatening and it requires cancer treatment. 

If you have a tumor, it does not mean that you have cancer. Because, many tumors are not cancerous. Tumors can form anywhere in the body. Another word of tumor is Neoplasm 

Types of tumors

A tumor may be:

• Cancerous: Malignant tumors or cancerous tumors will spread into tissues, glands and other parts of the body. Typically, new tumors are mets or metastases. Malignant tumors can recur after the treatment. These cancerous tumors can be life-threatening.

• Noncancerous: Benign tumors are usually non cancerous and it is very rare to become life-threatening. These tumors are localized which means it does not spread to other parts of the body. Many noncancerous tumors need no treatment. But some types of benign tumors put pressure on other body parts and it needs prompt medical care.

• Precancerous: These types of non cancerous tumors can become cancerous if not treated immediately.

Types of malignant tumors

Types of cancerous or malignant tumors include:

• Bone tumors like osteosarcoma and chordomas

• Brain tumors like glioblastoma and astrocytoma

• Malignant soft tissue tumors and sarcomas

• Organ tumors like lung cancer and pancreatic cancer

• Ovarian germ cell tumor

• Skin tumors like squamous cell carcinoma

Types of benign tumors

Some common non cancerous or benign tumors are:

• Osteomas - Benign bone tumors

• Brain tumors like meningiomas and schwannomas.

• Gland tumors like pituitary adenomas.

• Lymphatic tumors like angiomas.

• Benign soft tissue tumors - lipomas.

• Uterine fibroids

Types of precancerous tumors

Some common precancerous tumors are:

• Actinic keratosis which is a skin problems

• Cervical dysplasia

• Colon polyps

• Ductal carcinoma in situ which is a type of breast tumor

Causes 

Generally, your body produces new cells to replace old or damaged cells which die off. Sometimes, these cells don’t die as expected. Or else, new cells grow faster and multiply than they should. These cells form a group together which become a tumor.

Symptoms of a tumor

Tumor symptoms will vary and it depends on where the tumor develops and whether it is cancerous or not. You may feel the mass as a breast lump.

You may have:

• Fatigue

• Fever or chills

• Lack of appetite or sudden weight loss

• Night sweats

• Pain

Diagnosis

Your healthcare professional may see a tumor like skin or oral cancer. But most cancers cannot be seen during a physical examination because they are deep and present inside the body.

When a tumor is identified, a piece of tissue from the tumor will be removed and examined under a microscope. This method is called biopsy. It helps to confirm whether the tumor is non cancerous or cancerous. Biopsy is a simple procedure or a serious operation which depends on the location of the tumor.

CT or MRI scans will help you to identify the exact location of the tumor and also trace how far it spread in your body. Another type of imaging test is positron emission tomography or PET which is used to find specific tumor types.

Some other tests which may be done include:

• Blood tests

• Bone marrow biopsy  especially for lymphoma or leukemia

• Chest x-ray

• Complete blood count or CBC

• Liver function tests

Treatment

Treatments for a tumor usually depend on many factors which include type of tumor and its location.

Many benign tumors do not need any treatment. But some non cancerous tumors will continue to grow. For example, Benign brain tumors can press the other nearby healthy tissues which affects vision or speech. Your provider will suggest surgery to remove the tumor.

Treatments for malignant tumors are:

• Surgery helps to remove the tumor

• Chemotherapy helps to shrink the tumor size before doing surgery or destroying lingering abnormal cells after the surgery.

• Immunotherapy helps to boost your immune system to fight against cancer.

• Radiation therapy will help to destroy abnormal cells.

• Targeted therapy will help you to slow down or stop the growth of cancer cells.

Prevention

Mostly tumors can occur for no known reason. Still, below steps will lower your chance of developing a tumor:

• Quit both alcohol drinking and smoking.

• Follow a healthy diet and you must stay physically active.

• You must limit exposure to toxin substances.

• if needed, Lose weight

• To lower the risk of sexually transmitted or STI infections like HPV, use condoms and get the HPV vaccine.

Complications

Benign or non cancerous tumors may grow faster and give pressure on some organs like the brain. Endocrine tumors may not be cancerous but it may cause your body to overproduce hormones. In some cases, surgery helps to remove the tumor.

Cancer cells will break from the root tumor. These broken cancer cells may travel in your bloodstream or lymphatic system. When these broken cells settle in a new location like an organ or gland, they start to grow faster and it creates a new tumor as metastatic cancer. Cancer which spread will be very challengeable to treat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What causes tumors?

Ans: When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place. 

Q2. What is a Type 4 tumor?

Ans: stage 4 – the cancer has spread from where it started to at least 1 other body organ, also known as "secondary" or "metastatic" cancer.

Q3. Are tumors painful?

Ans: As a tumor grows it can compress adjacent nerves and organs, resulting in pain.

Q4. How do tumors look like?

Ans: Bumps that are cancerous are typically large, hard, painless to the touch and appear spontaneously.

Q5. Can you live a full life with a tumor?

Ans: Some people have cancer that can be controlled with treatment and they can live for a long time.