What is the general term for more than 100 diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells?

What is the general term for more than 100 diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells?

• A. Tumor
• B. Cancer
• C. Malignancy
• D. Neoplasm

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that a cancer is the umbrella term for a large group of diseases defined by uncontrolled cell growth with the potential to invade nearby tissues and spread to distant sites. That makes cancer the general term for more than a hundred different diseases sharing this malignant behavior. A tumor is just a lump or mass and can be either benign or malignant, so it’s not synonymous with cancer. A neoplasm means a new growth, but it too can be benign or malignant; it’s a broader term for any abnormal growth. Malignancy describes the cancerous nature or behavior (invasive and metastatic) rather than the disease group itself. So while malignancy is a feature of cancer, it doesn’t name the whole group. In practice, cancer registries focus on malignant neoplasms — cancers — because they represent the diseases with the clinically significant behavior of invasion and spread that registries track.

The key idea is that a cancer is the umbrella term for a large group of diseases defined by uncontrolled cell growth with the potential to invade nearby tissues and spread to distant sites. That makes cancer the general term for more than a hundred different diseases sharing this malignant behavior.

A tumor is just a lump or mass and can be either benign or malignant, so it’s not synonymous with cancer. A neoplasm means a new growth, but it too can be benign or malignant; it’s a broader term for any abnormal growth. Malignancy describes the cancerous nature or behavior (invasive and metastatic) rather than the disease group itself. So while malignancy is a feature of cancer, it doesn’t name the whole group.

In practice, cancer registries focus on malignant neoplasms — cancers — because they represent the diseases with the clinically significant behavior of invasion and spread that registries track.