Skip to main content
malignance

malignance

9.9
A disease that grows and spreads quickly and is hard to treat
  • noun
  • /məˈlɪɡnəns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : malignidad
  • The malignance of the tumor made it difficult for doctors to treat successfully.

Examples

  • Research is ongoing to find new therapies that can address the malignance of certain cancers.

  • The malignance of the tumor was confirmed by the biopsy.

  • Doctors feared the malignance would spread to other tissues rapidly.

  • Doctors are concerned about the malignance of the patient's condition.

  • Doctors feared the malignance of the cancer would lead to severe complications.

  • The malignance of the tumor required aggressive treatment to prevent further spread.

  • The medical team was alarmed by the malignance observed in the patient's recent scans.

Synonyms

malignancy
vsmalignance
  • Specialized
5 8.0

Cancer cells that grow without control and can destroy nearby tissue

is the general condition of being invasive, progressive, and treatment resistant
malignant tumor
vsmalignance
4 5.0

A group of harmful cells that grow and spread in the body

is the overall disease state that highlights invasiveness and treatment resistance
malignant neoplasm
vsmalignance
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A cancer that grows into nearby tissue and can spread to other parts of the body

is the broader condition describing disease severity and resistance rather than the mass
malignant neoplastic disease
vsmalignance
  • Specialized
7.4

A harmful growth of body cells that can spread to other parts

is the abstract quality of being invasive and resistant to therapy

How Dangerous

metastatic tumor
  • Specialized
1 5.1
malignance
  • Specialized
9.9
neoplasia
  • Specialized
1 9.4
benign tumor
  • Specialized
3 3.4

Surface Forms

malignance singular
malignances plural

Morphology

malignance = malignant (semi-transparent) = malign + ance

The noun is formed from the malignant/malign- stem plus -ance, so the medical sense is broadly recoverable, but the form is rare and somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Malignance in a medical sense comes from the root mal- meaning 'bad', the same root in malignant and malign. So a medical malignance is a 'bad' disease that grows, spreads, and is hard to treat.