Editing Neoplasm (section)

===Neoplasm vs. tumor===
The word ''tumor'' or ''tumour'' comes from the Latin word for ''swelling'', which is one of the cardinal signs of inflammation. The word originally referred to any form of [[Swelling (medical)|swelling]], neoplastic or not. In modern English, ''tumor (non-US spelling: tumour)''  is used as a synonym for a neoplasm (a solid or fluid-filled cystic [[lesion]] that may or may not be formed by an abnormal growth of neoplastic cells) that appears enlarged in size.<ref name="titlePancreas Cancer: Glossary of Terms">{{cite web |url=http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/slides/glossary.html |title=Pancreas Cancer: Glossary of Terms |access-date=2008-01-08 |archive-date=2010-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605173602/http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/slides/glossary.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary |title=Tumor |edition=31st|year=2007 |publisher=[[Saunders (publisher)|Saunders]] |isbn=978-1-84972-348-0}}</ref> Some neoplasms do not form a tumor; these include [[leukemia]] and most forms of [[carcinoma in situ]]. ''Tumor'' is also not synonymous with ''[[cancer]].'' While cancer is by definition malignant, a tumor can be [[Benign tumor|benign]], [[precancerous condition|precancerous]], or [[Malignancy|malignant]].{{cn|date=May 2023}}

The terms ''mass'' and ''nodule'' are often used synonymously with ''tumor''. Generally speaking, however, the term ''tumor'' is used generically, without reference to the physical size of the lesion.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> More specifically, the term ''mass'' is often used when the lesion has a maximal diameter of at least 20 millimeters (mm) in the greatest direction, while the term ''[[Nodule (medicine)|nodule]]'' is usually used when the size of the lesion is less than 20&nbsp;mm in its greatest dimension (25.4&nbsp;mm = 1&nbsp;inch).<ref name="ReferenceA"/>