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Difference Between a Benign and a Malignant Tumor

Colleen DeRitis, MA, OTR/L, Doug DeRitis, PharmD, RPH

February 13, 2013

Question

What is the difference between a benign and malignant tumor?

Answer

A benign tumor is slow growing and is encapsulated within the cell wall. It is well-differentiated from the healthy tissues surrounding it.  It is non-ulcerated and non-metastatic. It is not extended or fixed into surrounding tissues.  It can become malignant so it needs to be monitered.  Problems exist when it needs to be surgically removed and healthy tissue is destroyed in the process.

A malignant tumors is grows rapidly with very fast cell division.  It is ulcerated and very poorly differentiated from the surrounding tissue. It fixes itself to healthy tissue mixing in with regular cells eventually destroying them. They can be metastatic and spread to other areas of the body via the lymphatic system.

Continued and its subsidiaries provide professional education authored by qualified Subject Matter Experts for continuing education purposes. These materials are intended for educational purposes and do not constitute medical advice or a substitute for individual clinical judgment. Continued is not a clinical healthcare provider; the licensed professional is solely responsible for ensuring that the application of any techniques or information presented is within their legal scope of practice and jurisdictional requirements.


colleen deritis

Colleen DeRitis, MA, OTR/L

Colleen DeRitis is a licensed and registered OT with more than 30 years of clinical experience across a variety of settings and is currently an Operations Director for a home care agency in NJ.  Colleen earned a MA in Occupational Therapy and MS in Healthcare Administration. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at New York University, Long Island University, Dominican College, and the State University of New York-Downstate. She has taught courses on Advanced Treatment Techniques, Clinical Conditions Across the Life Span, Therapeutic Environmental Design, and Biopsychosocial Maturation. Mrs. DeRitis contributed a chapter to the National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam Review Study Guide (Cottrell)


doug deritis

Doug DeRitis, PharmD, RPH

Douglas DeRitis is a licensed pharmacist in New Jersey with over 30 years of experience. He has earned a BS and PharmD from Rutgers and an MSHI from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He currently is an Application Analyst at RWJ and previously worked for Hackensack Meridian Health. He also was a Clinical Coordinator of Pharmacy Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where he was responsible for clinical management of oncology patients. Dr. DeRitis has previously worked as a pharmacist for Deborah Heart and Lung Center and for Saint Clare’s Medical Center.


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