Malignant Neoplasm

Malignant neoplasms are cancerous tumors that develop when cells grow and divide faster than they should, spreading to nearby tissues and distant parts of the body. Understanding this disease, its different forms, and available treatments can help patients navigate their diagnosis and care.

Table of contents

• What is a malignant neoplasm?
• Types of malignant neoplasms
• Who is affected?
• Symptoms
• Causes and risk factors
• Treatment options

What is a malignant neoplasm?

A malignant neoplasm is another term for a cancerous tumor. The term “neoplasm” refers to an abnormal growth of tissue. The term “malignant” means the tumor is cancerous and is likely to spread beyond its point of origin^[1].

A neoplasm (pronounced NEE-oh-plaz-um) forms when cells grow and divide faster than they should. While neoplasms can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous), benign tumors usually grow slowly and don’t spread. In contrast, malignant tumors usually grow rapidly and invade other parts of the body^[1].

Malignant neoplasms have the ability to metastasize, which means they can spread to nearby tissues and to distant parts of the body. This spreading ability is what makes them particularly dangerous and different from benign growths^[1].

Types of malignant neoplasms

Malignant neoplasms can develop anywhere in the body. There are five main types of malignant neoplasms, classified according to where they originate^[1]:

Carcinomas make up about 90% of all cancer cases. These cancers originate in epithelial tissue, such as the skin or linings of organs. Common carcinomas include malignant neoplasms of the skin, breast, prostate, bladder, cervix, endometrium (lining of the uterus), lung, colon and rectum^[1].

Sarcomas begin in connective tissues, like bones, cartilage, muscle, tendons and fat. Unlike many other types of cancer, sarcomas are more common in young adults. The most common type of sarcoma is soft tissue sarcoma^[1].

Myelomas, also called multiple myeloma, form in the plasma cells (immune cells) of the bone marrow. The two main types of myelomas are smoldering (early, precancerous stage) and active (cancerous stage)^[1].

Leukemias are also called blood cancers. These are cancers of bone marrow. This disease is often associated with the overproduction of immature blood cells, which leads to anemia, fatigue and blood clotting problems^[1].

Lymphomas develop in the glands or nodes of the lymphatic system. Lymphomas can occur anywhere in the body, but they’re most commonly felt as lumps in the neck, underarm or groin areas^[1].

Sometimes, malignant neoplasms can metastasize to the brain. The most common cancers that can spread to the brain include cancers of the breast, skin (melanoma), lung, colon and kidney. Malignant neoplasms of the brain (metastatic brain tumors) are rare, affecting less than 1% of the U.S. population^[1].

Who is affected?

Malignant neoplasms, like most cancers, are most likely to affect people who are over the age of 65. However, this disease can occur in people of all ages^[1].

Symptoms

People with malignant neoplasms usually have varying symptoms depending on where the tumor is located. For example, someone with malignant neoplasm of the breast may notice breast pain or abnormal nipple discharge. People with malignant neoplasm of the colon might have abdominal pain or notice changes in their stool. Those with malignant neoplasm of the skin may develop sores or lesions on their skin^[1].

There are also general symptoms that people with cancerous tumors may experience^[1]:

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Anemia
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Drenching night sweats
• Abnormal lumps or bumps

Causes and risk factors

Malignant neoplasms form when cells grow and divide faster than they should. Experts know this happens, but they don’t fully understand why this occurs in the first place^[1].

The millions of cells within our bodies go through a life cycle. They reproduce and replenish themselves as old ones die or become defective, usually without issue. But sometimes things don’t go perfectly. Instead of eliminating old cells or cells that have sustained damage to their genes (DNA), these flawed cells may start dividing rapidly and pass along abnormal copies of themselves, over and over again. Eventually this forms a mass or tumor^[5].

Malignant cells have sustained several abnormal changes to their DNA. They begin invading neighboring cells, multiplying and dividing at a very fast and out-of-control rate. Each time they copy themselves, they pass along their defects, and cells become more and more abnormal as time passes and they spread further. While the body’s immune system does repair or remove abnormal cells, cancerous cells are able to slip by undetected and take over the immune system they bypassed^[5].

Treatment options

Treatment options for malignant neoplasms may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Early detection is key, so it’s important to attend all recommended cancer screenings^[1].

Most people with cancer have a combination of treatments, rather than just one. The types of treatment a patient receives will depend on the type of cancer and how advanced it is^[10].

Surgery is a common treatment for many types of cancer. During the operation, the surgeon takes out the mass of cancerous cells (tumor) and some of the nearby tissue. Sometimes, surgery is done to relieve side effects caused by a tumor^[14].

Chemotherapy refers to medicines used to kill cancer cells. The medicines may be given by mouth or into a blood vessel. Different types of medicines may be given together at the same time or one after the other. Chemotherapy works by killing or stopping the growth of cancer and other fast-growing cells^[14].

Radiation therapy uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. It uses x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells. Because radiation is most harmful to quickly growing cells, radiation therapy damages cancer cells more than normal cells. This prevents the cancer cells from growing and dividing, and leads to cell death^[10][14].

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer. It uses substances made by the body or in a lab to help the immune system work harder or in a more targeted way to fight cancer. This helps the body get rid of cancer cells. Immunotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, preventing cancer from spreading to other parts of the body, and boosting the immune system’s ability to get rid of cancer cells^[14].

Targeted therapy uses medicines to stop cancer from growing and spreading with less harm to normal cells than other treatments. Standard chemotherapy works by killing cancer cells and some normal cells, but targeted treatment zeroes in on specific targets (molecules) in cancer cells. These targets play a role in how cancer cells grow and survive^[14].

Hormone therapy is used to treat cancers that are fueled by hormones, such as breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers. It uses surgery or medicines to stop or block the body’s natural hormones. This helps slow the growth of cancer cells^[14].