Question

Mr. Smith's mother had a right radical mastectomy due to breast cancer. How would you define a malignant tumor? How would you differentiate a cancerous tumor from a benign tumor?

Answer 1

We can define a malignant tumor by the following characteristics;

It rapidly increases in size

It is characterized by reduced or lack of differentiation i.e. anaplasia

It invades the tissue that is surrounding

It can metastasize to tissues that are distant

We can differentiate a cancerous tumor from a benign tumor by these characteristics only as a benign tumor does not possess these characteristics. They grow slowly and have distinct borders, they don’t invade the surrounding tissue.