Tumour terminology: a glossary of key words

Angiogenesis: Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels form by sprouting from pre-existing vessels.
Avascular: An avascular tissue lacks a blood supply.
Benign: Benign tumours usually resemble the tissue of origin, remain localised and do not invade their surroundings. They may cause damage by local pressure or obstruction.
Carcinogen: A chemcial capable of causing cancer in humans or animals.
Differentiation: The development of cells with specialised structure and function from unspecialised precursor cells.
Oncogene: An oncogene is an altered version of a normal gene that is involved in cell division or differentiation.
Malignant: Malignant tumours exhibit cellular abnormalities and have the ability of invade and destroy the surrounding tissue.
Metastases: A secondary tumour caused by migration of cancer cells to another tissue.
Mutation: A change in a cell's DNA that alters its characteristics. Mutations may arise spontaneously, as a result of errors in normal cell division, or be induced by chemicals (carcinogens) or radiation.
Vascular: A vascular tissue possesses a blood supply.