neoplasm
American Heritage Dictionary:
Top
ne·o·plasm
(nē'ə-plăz'əm) 
n.
An abnormal new growth of tissue in animals or plants; a tumor.
neoplastic ne'o·plas'tic (-plăs'tĭk) adj.
n.
An abnormal new growth of tissue in animals or plants; a tumor.
neoplastic ne'o·plas'tic (-plăs'tĭk) adj.
Oxford Companion to the Body:
Top
neoplasm
From the Greek ‘new’ and ‘form’: an abnormal growth of tissue, or tumour. A neoplasm can be benign or malignant. The name given to any particular tumour is an indication of the type of tissue from which it arises, plus the ending ‘-oma’. Benign growths range from small warts to huge ovarian cysts; they include fatty lumps (lipomas), bony excrescences (osteomas), and many others. Malignant growths (cancers) are broadly classified according to the type of cells they arise from as either carcinoma, from epithelial sites — body coverings or linings (e.g. skin, breast, colon) — or sarcoma, from deeper tissue (e.g. bone or muscle). Malignant neoplasms are characterized by being locally invasive and by forming metastases — seeding in other parts of the body via lymphatic or blood vessels. A malignant growth may therefore be primary — at the original site — or secondary, metastatic.
— Stuart Judge
See also cancer.
Top
Any new and abnormal growth. Neoplasms include benign and malignant tumours. There is no clear relation between the incidence of neoplasms and exercise. Some sports activities may increase the risk of neoplasms (e.g. golf is associated with a high exposure to ultraviolet radiation and an above-average risk of skin tumours), but regular vigorous activity may decrease the incidence of certain cancers (e.g. colonic cancer). The overall risk of neoplasms among athletes is probably not significantly different from that of the general population.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
Top
neoplasm
neoplasm or tumor, tissue composed of cells that grow in an abnormal way. Normal tissue is growth-limited, i.e., cell reproduction is equal to cell death. Feedback controls limit cell division after a certain number of cells have developed, allowing for tissue repair but not expansion. Tumor cells are less responsive to these restraints and can proliferate to the point where they disrupt tissue architecture, distort the flow of nutrients, and otherwise do damage.
Tumors may be benign or malignant. Benign tumors remain localized as a discrete mass. They may differ appreciably from normal tissue in structure and excessive growth of cells, but are rarely fatal. However, even benign tumors may grow large enough to interfere with normal function. Some benign uterine tumors, which can weigh as much as 50 lb (22.7 kg), displace adjacent organs, causing digestive and reproductive disorders. Benign tumors are usually treated by complete surgical removal. Cells of malignant tumors, i.e., cancers, have characteristics that differ from normal cells in other ways beside cell proliferation. For example, they may be deficient in some specialized functions of the tissues where they originate. Malignant cells are invasive, i.e., they infiltrate surrounding normal tissue; later, malignant cells metastasize, i.e., spread via blood and the lymph system to other sites.
Both benign and malignant tumors are classified according to the type of tissue in which they are found. For example, fibromas are neoplasms of fibrous connective tissue, and melanomas are abnormal growths of pigment (melanin) cells. Malignant tumors originating from epithelial tissue, e.g., in skin, bronchi, and stomach, are termed carcinomas. Malignancies of epithelial glandular tissue such as are found in the breast, prostate, and colon, are known as adenocarcinomas. Malignant growths of connective tissue, e.g., muscle, cartilage, lymph tissue, and bone, are called sarcomas. Lymphomas and leukemias are malignancies arising among the white blood cells. A system has been devised to classify malignant tissue according to the degree of malignancy, from grade 1, barely malignant, to grade 4, highly malignant. In practice it is not always possible to determine the degree of malignancy, and it may be difficult even to determine whether particular tumor tissue is benign or malignant.
Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry:
Top
neoplastic
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:
Top
neoplastic
Pertaining to neoplasia or a neoplasm.
- n. disease — see neoplasia.
Mosby's Dental Dictionary:
Top
neoplasm
n
(tumor), an abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of the normal tissues. It persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli that evoked the change. Benign and malignant forms are recognized. See also tumor.
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'neoplasm'
- Signs and Symptoms - neoplasm: new tumor caused by uncontrolled reproduction of abnormal cells
Translations:
Top
Neoplasm
Dansk (Danish)
n. - [med.] neoplasma, nydannelse
Nederlands (Dutch)
neoplasma, gezwel
Français (French)
n. - (Méd) néoplasme
Deutsch (German)
n. - Geschwulstbildung, Gewächs
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (παθολ.) νεόπλασμα, όγκος
Português (Portuguese)
n. - neoplasma (m) (Patol.)
Español (Spanish)
n. - neoplasma
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - neoplasma (med.), tumör
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
新生物, 癌, 肿疡
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 新生物, 癌, 腫瘍
한국어 (Korean)
n. - (체내에 생기는)생생물, 종양
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) ورم, نمو خبيث
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - גידול, גידול ממאיר בגוף
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Companion to the Body
The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine
The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.
Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry
Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved.
Read more
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary
Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.
Read more
Mosby's Dental Dictionary
Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more
Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
Read more
