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A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells (termed neoplastic). Tumor is not synonymous with cancer
Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
. A tumor can be benign, pre-malignant
Carcinoma in situ

Carcinoma in situ is an early form of carcinoma defined by the absence of invasion of surrounding tissues. In other words, the neoplasm proliferate in their normal habitat, hence the name 'in situ' ....
 or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant.

term tumor is derived, via the Old French
Old French

Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
 tumour, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 tumor "swelling". It originally meant an abnormal swelling of the flesh.






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A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells (termed neoplastic). Tumor is not synonymous with cancer
Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
. A tumor can be benign, pre-malignant
Carcinoma in situ

Carcinoma in situ is an early form of carcinoma defined by the absence of invasion of surrounding tissues. In other words, the neoplasm proliferate in their normal habitat, hence the name 'in situ' ....
 or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant.

Etymology

The term tumor is derived, via the Old French
Old French

Old French was the Romance languages dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300....
 tumour, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 tumor "swelling". It originally meant an abnormal swelling of the flesh. In contemporary English, tumor is synonymous with solid neoplasm, all other forms of swelling being called swelling
Swelling (medical)

In medicine, swelling is the enlargement of organs caused by accumulation of excess fluid in Tissue , called edema.It can occur throughout the body , or a specific part or organ can be affected ....
. This usage is common also in medical literature, where the nouns tumefaction and tumescence
Tumescence

Tumescence is the quality or state of being tumescent or swollen. Tumescence usually refers to the normal engorgement with blood of the erectile tissues, marking sexual excitation and possible readiness for sexual activity....
, derived from the adjective tumefied, are the current medical terms for non-neoplastic swelling.

Cause

A neoplasm is an abnormal proliferation of tissues, usually caused by genetic mutation
Mutation

In biology, mutations are changes to the nucleotide sequence of the genetic material of an organism. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, by exposure to ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, chemical mutagens, or virus , or can be induced by the organism, itself, by cellular processes such as s...
s. Most neoplasms cause a tumor, with a few exceptions like leukemia
Leukemia

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood Cell , usually white blood cells ....
 or carcinoma in situ
Carcinoma in situ

Carcinoma in situ is an early form of carcinoma defined by the absence of invasion of surrounding tissues. In other words, the neoplasm proliferate in their normal habitat, hence the name 'in situ' ....
.

Tumors may be benign, pre-malignant or malignant. The nature of the tumor is determined by a pathologist
Anatomical pathology

or is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross examination, Histopathology, and Molecular pathology examination of organ , tissue , and whole bodies ....
 after examination of the tumor tissues from a biopsy
Biopsy

A biopsy is a medical test involving the removal of Cell_s or Biological tissues for examination. It is the removal of tissue from a living subject to determine the presence or extent of a disease....
 or a surgical excision
Surgery

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason....
 specimen.

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