You hear that a friend has been diagnosed with cancer, and they say it is malignant. What in the world does that mean? Well, a malignant tumor is a tumor that is invasive, meaning it can invade the surrounding tissues. Malignant tumors contain cells that are cancerous, growing out of control and capable of metastasizing. Metastasize simply means that the cells of the tumor are able to leave the original tumor and travel to other parts of the body.
In cancerous tumors or malignant tumors, the cells have lost the ability to stop growing. In other words, they have gone rogue and will not stop dividing. To better explain, nearly every cell in the body is able to grow and divide to make new cells, to a certain extent. This is important for all living organisms. When cells go rogue, however, there is a problem with the DNA. When mutations, which are changes in the DNA sequence, occur, they cause the cells to forget how to stop dividing. After some time, the mass of cells becomes a tumor. The tumor can either be malignant or it can be benign, which means it is not cancerous.
Okay, so you may be thinking, what is the difference between a malignant tumor and a benign tumor? That is a good question. To make it short and simple, benign tumors are easy to remove, grow slowly, do not invade surrounding tissues and are typically not life threatening. Malignant tumors grow quickly, are often difficult to remove, are capable of invading surrounding tissues and can be life threatening.
There are over 100 different types of cancer, and malignant tumors can be found in many different parts of the body. All cancers start from abnormal cell growth, but some are more aggressive than others. Because cancers can differ so greatly in severity and aggressiveness, there needs to be different treatments available. Let's take a look at two common types of treatment for malignant tumors: surgical and medical treatments.
Surgery can be a scary situation, but for many individuals with aggressive malignant tumors, it can be a lifesaver. Depending on the type and stage of the cancer (stages 0-4, with 4 being the most serious), surgery may be the only form of treatment a person receives. The surgeon will remove the tumor and some of the surrounding tissue.
You may have heard of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for the treatment of tumors. Chemotherapy, also known as chemo, is a common cancer treatment that uses drugs to destroy the fast-growing cancer cells. The drugs that are used in chemo are very strong and often have side effects, the most common being fatigue, hair loss, and nausea.
Radiation therapy is another common treatment for cancer that uses highly energized particles or waves to destroy or damage the cancer cells. This technique can be done alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy.
Well, we started out by learning the definition of a malignant tumor. We now know that this is a tumor that is cancerous and able to spread to surrounding tissues. In order for cells to become a mass or tumor, they go rogue and stop acting like normal cells. Typically, cells are able to divide and know when to stop dividing, but cancerous cells continue to divide and do not stop, resulting in a tumor.
We also learned the difference between a benign and malignant tumor. Recall that a benign tumor is non-cancerous and most likely not life threatening, and a malignant tumor is cancerous and can be life threatening.
Lastly, we learned a few of the treatment options for malignant tumors. First, tumors can be removed surgically. They can also be treated with strong medication known as chemotherapy or with high-energy particles and waves known as radiation therapy.
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