What it means
A tumor may be benign (not cancer: it stays in one place and does not spread) or malignant (cancer: it can invade nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body). The medical word is neoplasm, meaning new growth. The word ending -oma often names a tumor, as in sarcomasar-KOH-muhA cancer that starts in bone or in the body's soft tissues, such as muscle, fat or blood vessels.sarc/o flesh-oma tumorFull entry .
At a glance
| Spanish | tumor |
|---|---|
| Also written | tumors, tumour |
Related terms
antineoplastic
A drug used to treat cancer by killing cancer cells or stopping them from growing and dividing.
onc/o
A word part that means tumor or mass.
carcinogen
Anything that can cause cancer, such as tobacco smoke, asbestos, UV light or certain chemicals and viruses.
sarcoma
A cancer that starts in bone or in the body's soft tissues, such as muscle, fat or blood vessels.