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Malignancy (from Latin male 'badly' and -gnus 'born') is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse; the term is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A malignant tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous benign tumor in that a malignancy is not self-limited in its growth, is capable of invading into adjacent tissues ...
Tumor is also not synonymous with cancer. While cancer is by definition malignant, a tumor can be benign, precancerous, or malignant. [citation needed] The terms mass and nodule are often used synonymously with tumor. Generally speaking, however, the term tumor is used generically, without reference to the physical size of the lesion. [3]
For example, the most common cancer of the liver parenchyma ("hepato-" = liver), arising from malignant epithelial cells ("carcinoma"), would be called a hepatocarcinoma, while a malignancy arising from primitive liver precursor cells is called a hepatoblastoma. Similarly, a cancer arising from malignant fat cells would be termed a liposarcoma.
A neoplasm or tumor is a group of cells that have undergone unregulated growth and will often form a mass or lump, but may be distributed diffusely. [28] [29] All tumor cells show the six hallmarks of cancer. These characteristics are required to produce a malignant tumor. They include: [30] Cell growth and division absent the proper signals
A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from cells of mesenchymal (connective tissue) origin. [1] [2] Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, vascular, or other structural tissues, and sarcomas can arise in any of these types of tissues.
Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. [1] Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesodermal [2] or ectodermal germ layer during embryogenesis.
A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. [1] The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (ónkos), meaning "tumor", "volume" or "mass". [2] Oncology is concerned with: The diagnosis of any cancer in a person (pathology) Therapy (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other modalities)
Upon discovery of a liver tumor, the main issue in the workup is to determine whether the tumor is benign or malignant. Many imaging modalities are used to aid in the diagnosis of malignant liver tumors. These include sonography (ultrasound), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).