Question

Differentiate between benign and cancerous tumours.

Answer 1

Basis of Difference	Benign (non-malignant) tumour	Cancerous (malignant) tumour
Enclosure	Enclosed in connective tissue.	Not enclosed in any specific tissue.
Spread	Remains confined to the site of origin; does not spread to other parts of the body.	Not confined to the original tissue; spreads through blood or lymph to other parts.
Growth	May grow in size but cannot grow indefinitely, e.g., warts.	Cancerous cells have an infinite life span and grow indefinitely.
Metastasis	Does not show metastasis.	Shows metastasis and forms secondary tumours.
Fatality	Usually harmless, but may turn malignant and is therefore removed as soon as discovered.	Invariably fatal when secondary tumours spread; only malignant tumours are called true cancers.