Tumor Anatomy

A tumor may be a mass of tissue that's formed by an accumulation of abnormal cells. Normally, the cells in your body age, die, and they are replaced by new cells. With cancer cells and other tumors, something disrupts this cycle. Tumor cells grow, albeit the body doesn't need them, and in contrast to normal old cells, they do not die. As this process goes on, the tumor cells continues to grow as more and more cells are added to the mass. A tumor is an abnormal growth of body tissues. Tumors can be cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous (benign). In general, tumors occur when cells divide and grow excessively within the body. Normally, the body controls cell growth and division. New cells are created to exchange older ones or to perform new functions. Cells that are damaged or not needed die to form room for healthy replacements.If the balance of cell growth and death is disturbed, a tumor may form. Malignancy refers to the ability of a tumour ultimately to cause death. Any tumour, either benign or malignant in type, may produce death by local effects if it is appropriately situated. The common and more specific definition of malignancy implies an inherent tendency of the tumour’s cells to metastasize (invade the body widely and become disseminated by subtle means) and eventually to kill the patient unless all the malignant cells can be eradicated.        

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