non-malignant

Medically safe growth

Non-malignant describes a growth or tumor that is not cancerous—it won't spread to other parts of the body or invade surrounding tissue.

The term appears in medical contexts to distinguish harmless masses from dangerous ones: The biopsy came back non-malignant.

Also spelled nonmalignant.

The opposite is malignant.

medical

adenoma

Benign epithelial tumor

fibromaBenign connective tissue tumor
lipomaBenign adipose growth
cystFluid-filled tissue sac

polyp · nodule · papilloma · meningioma · neuroma · chondroma · hemangioma · teratoma · hyperplasia · angioma

harmless

innocuous

Causing no harm

safeFree from peril
non-toxicCauses no harm
non-invasiveNot entering the body

non-aggressive · unthreatening · inoffensive · localized · contained · stable · dormant · non-cancerous · non-life-threatening

reassuring

treatable

Capable of being cured

manageableAble to be controlled
curableAble to be healed
hopefulFeeling positive expectation

encouraging · positive · relieving · favorable · optimistic · reassuring · non-threatening · monitor · routine · low-risk

Opposites

medical severity/danger

non-malignantmalignant

Harmfully invasive, often fatal

cancerous · metastatic · invasive · aggressive · deadly

figurative harmfulness

non-malignantmalignant

Harmfully invasive, often fatal

malevolent · pernicious · harmful · destructive · virulent

disease progression

non-malignantmalignant

Harmfully invasive, often fatal

metastatic · invasive · spreading · progressive · infiltrating

Family

malignant, malign, malignancy, malignancies, malignantly, benign, benignant, maligned, maligning

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