Healthy breakfast: the 4 essential ingredients

 How do differentiate a malignancy tumor from a benign tumor?

malignancy and benign tumors, what are the differences?

Who says "tumor" means "cancer". However, this is not always true. A tumor can be completely benign, that is to say without any health risk. In fact, a tumor is “an agglomeration of cells, a growth”, defines Dr. Nasrine Callet, a gynecologist at the Institut Curie. It is no coincidence that the word tumor comes from the Latin tumere, which means “to swell”.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in France, ahead of cardiovascular diseases. In 2018, there were 382,000 new cases of cancer in mainland France, and 157,400 deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute.

malignancy or benign, what does that mean?

“In the case of a malignancy tumor, the cells are abnormal, irregular, and cancerous,” they proliferate uncontrollably in a tissue or organ. A malignancy tumor can spread to other parts of the body by producing metastases.

"The cells of a benign tumor, they do not show any anomaly", underlines Dr. Callet. A benign tumor usually has a regular, smooth shape. It does not spread to other parts of the body, and cannot metastasize. If we decide to remove it, there is no risk that it will reappear.

For example, a mole and a wart are benign tumors. Warning: some benign tumors can degenerate and mutate into malignancy tumors. The reason why they must be monitored.

Primary and secondary: what are the differences?

The main tumor is called “primary”. When it spreads to other parts of the body, through the blood or lymphatic vessels, it is called a "secondary" tumor.

Symptoms of a tumor

A malignancy tumor is sometimes silent for a long time, beginning to manifest itself at an advanced stage of the disease. But when there are warning signs, they should not be ignored. "Any growth must push to consult", insists Dr. Callet. First, your doctor, who will refer you to an oncologist, or another specialist, if necessary.

Many other symptoms, if they do not disappear quickly, also require medical advice: pain, a stain on the skin, bleeding, unexplained weight loss, etc. It is better to consult for nothing than to arrive after the battle. When it comes to cancer, most of the time, the earlier the diagnosis, the higher the chances of survival.

The causes of a tumor

There are factors about which nothing can be done. Age or genetic predisposition, in particular. “The transformation of a normal cell into a cancerous cell is a long and complex process. Various factors intervene to generate mutations in the genes. A large part of these causes has not yet been identified with certainty, ”deplores the National Cancer Institute.

But thinking that cancer is always a fatality is wrong. The proof, 41% of all new cases of cancer are attributable to modifiable risk factors. The first of them? The tobacco. It alone would be the cause of 19.8% of cancers. It is followed by alcohol (8% of cancers), an unbalanced diet, overweight, and obesity.

For skin cancer, the sun is the enemy from which it is absolutely necessary to protect yourself. Having a flawless lifestyle will not protect you 100% against the likelihood of getting cancer. But it will certainly lower the risk.

The diagnosis of a tumor

It is based first on the clinical examination, sometimes supplemented by a blood test or a urine analysis. Then come the imaging tools. Radiography, based on X-rays, is used in particular for lung and breast cancers (mammography). The scanner, on the other hand, offers a 3D reconstruction of the organs.

Very precise magnetic resonance imaging is used in particular to explore the brain. “In case of suspicion, the doctor then does a biopsy, that is to say, a tissue sample, to be able to analyze the lump under a microscope. This allows him to confirm - or not - the cancerous nature of the lesion.

Tumor treatments

Surgical removal

Surgical removal of a benign tumor is only performed for aesthetic reasons, or if it carries a risk of complications. Otherwise, we will be content with simple monitoring.

When it comes to a malignancy tumor, the possible treatments are multiple, tailor-made, depending on the location of the tumor, its stage, the patient... "If the lump can be removed, it will be." during a surgical operation. Otherwise, she will be treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. » Treatments can be used alone, or in combination.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is increasingly promising. These drugs re-educate and strengthen the patient's immune system so that it can fulfill its mission: to identify and put off cancer cells. Immunotherapy does not work on all cancers or all patients, but when it works, it works very well. The tumors for which it works best are those with the most genetic mutations, such as melanoma, one of the most aggressive skin cancers, and lung cancer.