Benign

The word benign is often used to refer to a medical condition that will not become life-threatening if it is not treated, but can also mean that something is not harmful. It is often used in relation to tumours that do not metastasise to other parts of the body. Tumours that are referred to as being benign may still be life-threatening because of other reasons. Because of this, the term applies mainly to their biological behaviour.

Tumors that are benign may be at risk of changing into malignancy. These are termed "premalignant".

Benign Media

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  Endoscopic image of sigmoid colon of a patient with familial adenomatous polyposis.

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  Benign (L) vs Malignant tumor (R).

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  Diagram showing two epithelial tumors. The upper tumor is a benign tumor that is non-invasive. Benign tumors are usually round in shape and encapsulated by fibrous connective tissue. The lower picture depicts a malignant tumor. It is irregularly shaped, vascular, and it is invasive, crossing the basement membrane.