Whoever says “tumor” means “cancer”. However, this is not always true. A tumor can be completely benign, that is to say without any risk to health. In fact, a tumor is “an agglomeration of cells, a lump”, defines Dr Nasrine Callet, a gynecologist at the Institut Curie. It is no coincidence that the word tumor comes from the Latin tumere, which means “to swell”.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in France, ahead of cardiovascular disease. In 2018, there were 382.000 new cases of cancer in metropolitan France, and 157.400 deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“In the case of a malignant tumor, the cells are abnormal, irregular, and cancerous,” they proliferate in an anarchic fashion in a tissue or organ. A malignant tumor can spread to other parts of the body by metastasizing it.

“The cells of a benign tumor, they do not present an abnormality”, underlines Dr. Callet. A benign tumor usually has a regular, smooth shape. It does not spread to other parts of the body, and cannot metastasize. If we decide to remove it, there is no risk that it will reappear.

For example, a mole and a wart are benign tumors. Warning: some benign tumors can degenerate and mutate into malignant tumors. Reason why they must be monitored.

The main tumor is said to be “primary”. When it spreads to other parts of the body, through the blood or lymphatic vessels, it is called a “secondary” tumor.

A malignant tumor is sometimes silent for a long time, beginning to appear at an advanced stage of the disease. But when there are red flags, they should not be ignored. “Any growth should encourage consultation,” insists Dr. Callet. First, his or her attending physician, who will refer you to an oncologist, or another specialist, if necessary.

Many other symptoms, if they do not go away quickly, also require medical advice: pain, a spot on the skin, bleeding, unexplained weight loss, etc. It is better to consult for nothing, than to arrive after the battle. In cancer, most of the time, the earlier the diagnosis, the better the chances of survival.

There are factors that cannot be done anything about. Age or genetic predisposition, in particular. “The transformation of a normal cell into a cancer cell is a long and complex process. Different factors intervene to generate mutations in genes. A large part of these causes has not yet been identified with certainty, ”laments the National Cancer Institute.

But to think that cancer is always inevitable is wrong. Evidence, 41% of all new cancer cases are attributable to modifiable risk factors. The first of them? The tobacco. It would alone be the cause of 19,8% of cancers. It is followed by alcohol (8% of cancers), an unbalanced diet, overweight and obesity.

For skin cancer, the sun is the enemy you absolutely need to protect yourself from. Living a flawless lifestyle will not protect you 100% from the likelihood of getting cancer. But it will lower the risk, for sure.

It is based first of all on the clinical examination, sometimes supplemented by a blood test or a urinalysis. Then come the imaging tools. Radiography, based on X-rays, is used in particular for lung and breast cancer (mammography). The scanner offers a 3D reconstruction of the organs.

Very precise magnetic resonance imaging is used in particular to explore the brain. “In case of suspicion, the doctor then takes a biopsy, that is to say a sample of tissue, in order to be able to analyze the lump under a microscope. This allows him to confirm – or not – the cancerous nature of the lesion.

Surgical removal

Surgical removal of a benign tumor is only performed for cosmetic reasons, or if there is a risk of complications. Otherwise, we will be satisfied with simple surveillance. 

When it comes to a malignant tumor, there are many possible treatments, tailor-made, depending on the location of the tumor, its stage, the patient … “If the lump can be removed, it will be when ‘a surgery. Otherwise, she will be treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. »Treatments can be used alone or in combination.

immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is increasingly promising. These drugs re-educate and strengthen the patient’s immune system, so that it can fulfill its mission: to identify and eliminate cancer cells. Immunotherapy doesn’t work on all cancers or all patients, but when it does, it works very well. The tumors that work best are those with the most genetic mutations, such as melanoma, one of the most aggressive skin cancers, and lung cancer.