What Is the Difference Between Premalignant and Precancerous?

The WHO has defined a precancerous lesion as “a morphologically altered tissue in which cancer is more likely to occur than in its apparently normal counterpart,” whereas a premalignant condition is defined as “a generalized state associated with a significantly increased risk of cancer” [1].

Does premalignant mean cancer?

Basically, a precancerous lesion is a collection of cells from the body's organs that may look and appear to be the same as cancer cells, but may not have the properties of cancer cells that allow them to break through the membranes of the organ they come from and spread (or “metastasize”) to other organs.

What is the difference between benign and premalignant?

Benign: These are not cancerous. They either cannot spread or grow, or they do so very slowly. If a doctor removes them, they do not generally return. Premalignant: In these tumors, the cells are not yet cancerous, but they have the potential to become malignant.