Benign or Malignant?

Growths or tumours can be benign or malignant:

• Benign growths are not cancer:
  • Benign growths are rarely life-threatening.
  • Generally, benign growths can be removed. They usually do not grow back.
  • Cells from benign growths do not invade the tissues around them.
  • Cells from benign growths do not spread to other parts of the body.
• Malignant growths are cancer:
  • Malignant growths are generally more serious than benign growths. They may be life-threatening. However, the two most common types of skin cancer cause only about one out of every thousand deaths from cancer.
  • Malignant growths often can be removed. But sometimes they grow back.
  • Cells from malignant growths can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs.
  • Cells from some malignant growths can spread to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.