Question

Explain benign and malignant cancer. What is metastasis?

Answer 1

Hint: Cancer is the disease caused when the cells divide uncontrollably and spread into the surrounding tissues. It is caused by changes occurring to the DNA. Most cancer-causing DNA changes occur in genes. These changes are also known as genetic changes.

Complete answer:
A tumor is an abnormal growth or lump of cells. If the cells are not cancerous, then the tumor is benign. It won't invade any nearby tissues or spread to other areas of the body or metastasize. A benign tumor is less bothersome unless it starts pressing on nearby nerves, blood vessels or tissues, and causing damage. Benign tumors may need to be removed by surgery. They can grow to a very large size. It can be dangerous, when they occur in the brain and start crowding the normal structures in the enclosed space. They can block channels or press on vital organs. Benign tumors usually don't recur once it is removed, but even if they do it is usually in the same place. Examples are: Fibroids in the uterus or lipomas.
Malignant tumor is made of cancer cells and it can invade the nearby tissues. Some cancer cells can move into the lymph nodes or bloodstream, where they can spread to other tissues within the body—this is called metastasis. Cancerous cells grow abnormally and uncontrollably, and the grown tumor is malignant. Cancer may occur anywhere in the body including the lungs, breast, intestines, reproductive organs, skin and blood.
Metastasis occurs when the cancer spreads to a different part of the body from where it started. Metastasis most commonly develops when cancer cells break away from the main tumor and then enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. These systems carry fluids around our body. This means that the cancerous cells can travel from the original tumor and form new tumors when they settle and grow in a different body part.

Note: Spreading of cancer depends on several factors, including:
-Type of cancer. Some cancers are more likely to spread than others cancers
-Growth rate of cancer.
-Some other factors about the behavior of the cancer.