Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Diseases by System

Malignant

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/məˈlɪɡnənt/adjectiveCommon term

In medicine, malignant means: Cancerous, and able to grow into nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body; also used for conditions that are very dangerous.

In Turkish: malign, kötü huylu, habis

How it is used

Used in pathology reports, multidisciplinary meetings and diagnoses such as malignant melanoma. The noun malignancy is often a more careful word for cancer: 'We can't exclude a malignancy.'

Example sentences

  1. The pathology report confirmed a malignant tumor of the colon.

  2. Unintentional weight loss in this age group raises concern for malignancy.

Common collocations

  • malignant tumor
  • malignant melanoma
  • suspected malignancy
  • malignant cells
  • benignNot cancer and not spreading to other parts of the body; also used for any condition that is not dangerous.
  • tumorAn abnormal lump or mass of tissue that forms when cells divide more than they should; it can be benign or malignant.
  • biopsyThe removal of a small piece of tissue from the body so that it can be examined under a microscope, often to check for cancer.
  • prognosisA doctor's opinion about how an illness is likely to develop and what the chances of recovery or survival are.

More terms: Diseases by System

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.