What is a neoplasm?
A neoplasm is an abnormal growth of cells. Another word for neoplasm is tumour. A neoplasm can be non-cancerous or cancerous. Non-cancerous neoplasms are called benign. Cancerous neoplasms are called malignant.
A benign neoplasm can still cause injury if it grows large enough to damage the surrounding normal tissue. In some areas of the body (such as the brain) even small non-cancerous neoplasms can cause serious injury.
Your pathologist will carefully examine the tissue sample under the microscope to determine if the neoplasm is non-cancerous or cancerous.
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