Benign A tumor can be classified as malignant or benign. In both cases, there is an abnormal aggregation and proliferation of cells. In the case of a malignant tumor, these cells behave more aggressively, acquiring properties of increased invasiveness. This is called metastasis . Once malignant cells have metastasized, achieving cure is more difficult.
Benign tumors have less of a tendency to invade and are less likely to metastasize.
They do divide in an uncontrolled manner, though. Depending on their location, they can be just as life threatening as malignant lesions. An example of this would be a benign tumor in the brain, which can grow and occupy space within the skull, leading to increased pressure on the brain. Correction of Abnormalities Corrections of the various cellular abnormalities in tumor cells could potentially prevent or reverse cellular proliferation, leading to cure of disease. There are numerous reasons why this is so difficult, but the primary explanation is that we do not yet have a sufficient understanding of all the processes that go on inside a cell at the molecular level.