Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRecognizing a NeoplasmTypesClassificationTreatmentOutlook
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Recognizing a Neoplasm
Types
Classification
Treatment
Outlook
A neoplasm is an abnormal growth of cells in the body. It can be a small, benign (non-cancerous) growth such as a mole or a malignant (cancerous) or precancerous tumor. A malignant neoplasm can spread to other parts of the body.
Most of the time, this type of growth is not dangerous to your health. It is possible for a tumor to be cancerous, however. This is why it is important to see your healthcare provider on a regular basis and complete routine tests and screenings.
This article reviews the types of neoplasms and how they are treated. It also discusses the possible outcomes for malignant neoplasms.
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A visible neoplasm may look exactly like your skin or it can be a different color or texture. Neoplasms are usually painless, but they can sometimes hurt or bleed. This is how a neoplasm differs from other conditions such aswarts.
Neoplasms often grow slowly. However, some types (such as malignant melanoma) are more aggressive and can grow quickly.
You may notice small neoplasms that lead to bumps on the surface of your skin. They may appear in reachable areas of your body, such as your ear canals or nostrils.
Often, though, they are located deep beneath the surface of your skin. Neoplasms that affect organs in your body are located and diagnosed through routine screenings and imaging tests, biopsy, and other methods because they are not visible.
How Cancer Is Diagnosed
Types of Neoplasms
There are trillions of normal, healthy cells inside the human body. These cells grow, divide, multiply, and die. When they die, they are replaced in a controlled manner. In the case of a neoplasm, however, the cells may grow more rapidly or survive longer than they are supposed to.
There are three types of neoplasms: benign, precancerous, and malignant.
Benign Neoplasms
Benign neoplasms may develop during late childhood or in adulthood.Benign tumorsusually grow slowly, if at all. They are not generally life-threatening.
Although benign tumors are not cancer, it doesn’t mean they can’t cause problems. Fibroids, for example, can cause significant bleeding and pain and may need to be removed.
Sometimes benign tumors bear the same genetic mutations as malignant tumors, but they don’t have local spread or metastasis. This suggests that malignant tumors may have other features besides genetic mutations that make them behave aggressively.
Benign NeoplasmA neoplasm is considered benign if it cannot spread through the bloodstream orlymphatic systemto invade other body parts.
Benign Neoplasm
A neoplasm is considered benign if it cannot spread through the bloodstream orlymphatic systemto invade other body parts.
What Benign Moles Look Like
Malignant Tumors and Other Malignant Neoplasms
A malignant neoplasm is a cancerous growth. It is most often associated with damage to a cell’s DNA.This damage results in genetic mutations that cause abnormal cells to lose their normal function. These cells multiply faster, live longer, and invade other cells and tissue.
Certain factors can trigger these mutations, including:
Smoking, for example, can increase a person’s risk of lung cancer. In addition, excessive alcohol use may lead to liver cancer.
A malignant neoplasm can grow in any body part and metastasize (spread) to virtually any other part.Some common types of malignant neoplasms include:
Precancerous Neoplasms
Precancerous neoplasms are growths that have not yet spread but have the potential to become cancer. They are usually diagnosed after a (biopsy) microscopic examination of the neoplasm.
Detecting and Classifying Neoplasms
It can be challenging to know if a neoplasm is cancerous or not. Often, your healthcare provider can tell based on the appearance, texture, and history of the growth. Then, the diagnosis can be confirmed with lab and imaging tests.
How Are Malignant Neoplasms Detected?
Your healthcare provider will likely order several tests to help determine if you have a malignant neoplasm. These may include:
Breast Biopsy Procedure: What to Expect
Pathology: Examining Tissue for Signs of Cancer
The microscopic appearance of a benign neoplasm is very different from the appearance of a cancerous or precancerous growth:
Treatment for Malignant Neoplasms
Treatment for malignant neoplasms depends on several factors, such as the type of tumor, where it is located, and if it has spread to other parts of the body.
Surgery
Surgery tends to work best for solid tumors that haven’t spread. A solid tumor is a mass such as a breast tumor. In the early stages of cancer, surgery may be the only necessary treatment.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapyinvolves the use of one or more anti-cancer drugs. It targets fast-growing cancer cells and works throughout your body rather than in a specific area. It is often used to prevent cancer from spreading or treat cancer that has already spread. It can also help shrink a tumor before surgery, making cancer easier to remove.
An Overview of What Happens During Chemotherapy
Radiation
Radiation therapytargets the tumor directly. High doses of radiation are used to destroy the cancer cells during this treatment. This treatment aims to cure early-stage tumors or reduce their size.
Ablation
Ablation is a minimally invasive treatment for solid tumors. A healthcare provider uses a tiny probe to freeze or burn cancer cells during this procedure. Ablation tends to work best for smaller tumors.
Embolization
During this minimally invasive procedure, a small tube is inserted inside the primary blood vessel that supplies blood to the tumor.
The goal of embolization is to disrupt the blood supply so the cancerous tumor cells die. This can be done with small particles or beads that block the blood supply. Chemotherapy drugs or radioactive particles can also be delivered through the tube.
How Uterine Fibroid Embolization Works
Hormonal Therapy
Some cancers like breast cancer andprostate cancerrely on hormones to grow. Hormone therapy can prevent the body from producing specific hormones or interfere with the behavior of hormones. This can help reduce the size of a tumor or help prevent it from coming back after surgery or other treatments.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapyis a cancer treatment that helps stimulate your body’s immune system to fight cancer. This can be done in a few different ways. Some examples include:
The outlook for people with malignant neoplasm depends on the type of cancer and whether or not it has spread. Cancers caught in the early stages tend to have a much better prognosis than those caught in the later stages.
For example, people with localized melanoma have a five-yearsurvival rateof 99%. This means that 99% of these individuals will still be alive five years after diagnosis.
However, people with metastatic melanoma have a five-year survival rate of 30%.
This is why it is important to see a healthcare provider immediately if you find a lump or growth anywhere on your body.
Summary
A neoplasm is an abnormal growth in the body. Neoplasms can be benign or malignant.
Neoplasms can be diagnosed with lab tests, imaging tests, and a biopsy. These tests can determine if a neoplasm is benign or malignant.
Treatment for malignant neoplasms depends on where they are located and if they have spread. Typical treatments include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. In some cases, hormonal therapy or immunotherapy can also help.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yale Medicine.Neoplasm (Tumor).Stătescu L, Trandafir LM, Țarcă E, Moscalu M, Leon Constantin MM, Butnariu LI,et al.Advancing Cancer Research: Current Knowledge on Cutaneous Neoplasia.Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 6;24(13):11176. doi: 10.3390/ijms241311176.Cancer Treatment Centers of America.What’s the difference? Benign and malignant tumors.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office on Women’s HealthUterine fibroids.National Cancer Institute.What is cancer?American Cancer Society.What causes cancer?American Cancer Society.What is cancer?American Society of Clinical Oncology.After a biopsy: making the diagnosis.The American Cancer Society.How immunotherapy is used to treat cancer.The American Cancer Society.Survival rates for melanoma skin cancer.Additional ReadingGómez-Martín I, Moreno S, Duran X, Pujol RM, Segura S.Diagnostic accuracy of non-melanocytic pink flat skin lesions on the legs: dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopy evaluation.Acta Derm Venereol.2018;99(1):33-40. doi:10.2340/00015555-3029Johnson CN, Ha AS, Chen E, Davidson D.Lipomatous soft-tissue tumors.J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2018;26(22):779-788. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-17-00045
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yale Medicine.Neoplasm (Tumor).Stătescu L, Trandafir LM, Țarcă E, Moscalu M, Leon Constantin MM, Butnariu LI,et al.Advancing Cancer Research: Current Knowledge on Cutaneous Neoplasia.Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 6;24(13):11176. doi: 10.3390/ijms241311176.Cancer Treatment Centers of America.What’s the difference? Benign and malignant tumors.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office on Women’s HealthUterine fibroids.National Cancer Institute.What is cancer?American Cancer Society.What causes cancer?American Cancer Society.What is cancer?American Society of Clinical Oncology.After a biopsy: making the diagnosis.The American Cancer Society.How immunotherapy is used to treat cancer.The American Cancer Society.Survival rates for melanoma skin cancer.Additional ReadingGómez-Martín I, Moreno S, Duran X, Pujol RM, Segura S.Diagnostic accuracy of non-melanocytic pink flat skin lesions on the legs: dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopy evaluation.Acta Derm Venereol.2018;99(1):33-40. doi:10.2340/00015555-3029Johnson CN, Ha AS, Chen E, Davidson D.Lipomatous soft-tissue tumors.J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2018;26(22):779-788. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-17-00045
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Yale Medicine.Neoplasm (Tumor).Stătescu L, Trandafir LM, Țarcă E, Moscalu M, Leon Constantin MM, Butnariu LI,et al.Advancing Cancer Research: Current Knowledge on Cutaneous Neoplasia.Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 6;24(13):11176. doi: 10.3390/ijms241311176.Cancer Treatment Centers of America.What’s the difference? Benign and malignant tumors.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office on Women’s HealthUterine fibroids.National Cancer Institute.What is cancer?American Cancer Society.What causes cancer?American Cancer Society.What is cancer?American Society of Clinical Oncology.After a biopsy: making the diagnosis.The American Cancer Society.How immunotherapy is used to treat cancer.The American Cancer Society.Survival rates for melanoma skin cancer.
Yale Medicine.Neoplasm (Tumor).
Stătescu L, Trandafir LM, Țarcă E, Moscalu M, Leon Constantin MM, Butnariu LI,et al.Advancing Cancer Research: Current Knowledge on Cutaneous Neoplasia.Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 6;24(13):11176. doi: 10.3390/ijms241311176.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America.What’s the difference? Benign and malignant tumors.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office on Women’s HealthUterine fibroids.
National Cancer Institute.What is cancer?
American Cancer Society.What causes cancer?
American Cancer Society.What is cancer?
American Society of Clinical Oncology.After a biopsy: making the diagnosis.
The American Cancer Society.How immunotherapy is used to treat cancer.
The American Cancer Society.Survival rates for melanoma skin cancer.
Gómez-Martín I, Moreno S, Duran X, Pujol RM, Segura S.Diagnostic accuracy of non-melanocytic pink flat skin lesions on the legs: dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopy evaluation.Acta Derm Venereol.2018;99(1):33-40. doi:10.2340/00015555-3029Johnson CN, Ha AS, Chen E, Davidson D.Lipomatous soft-tissue tumors.J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2018;26(22):779-788. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-17-00045
Gómez-Martín I, Moreno S, Duran X, Pujol RM, Segura S.Diagnostic accuracy of non-melanocytic pink flat skin lesions on the legs: dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopy evaluation.Acta Derm Venereol.2018;99(1):33-40. doi:10.2340/00015555-3029
Johnson CN, Ha AS, Chen E, Davidson D.Lipomatous soft-tissue tumors.J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2018;26(22):779-788. doi:10.5435/JAAOS-D-17-00045
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