A term used to describe a disease that is relatively harmless. When used to refer to tumours, benign means noncancerous tumours that do not invade or destroy local tissues and do not spread to other sites within the body.
Not harmful. Used especially to describe tumours that are not malignant.
Non-malignant neoplasm; a neoplasm that is not locally invasive and does not spread to distant sites (metastasise).
adj. 1. describing a tumour that does not invade and destroy the tissue in which it originates or spread to distant sites in the body, i.e. a tumour that is not cancerous. Benign tumours may nonetheless cause serious morbidity or mortality by compressing or obstructing vital structures. 2. describing any disorder or condition that does not produce harmful effects. Compare malignant.
(BPH) The benign buildup in the prostate of “warts” or epithelial neoplasias that can block or interrupt urination, and which are usually concurrent with moderate prostate enlargement. They cause a dull ache on urination, ejaculation, and/or defecation. The diagnosis is medical, since the same subjective conditions can result from cancer of the prostate. BPH is common in men over fifty and can be the result either of diminished production of complete testosterone or poor pelvic circulation. Alcohol, coffee, speed, and antihistamines can all aggravate the problem.... benign prostatic hypertrophy, or hyperplasia
(BPPV) a common cause of vertigo in which the patient complains of brief episodes of rotatory vertigo precipitated by sudden head movements. It is thought to be due to microscopic debris derived from the *otoliths of the utricle and displaced into one of the semicircular canals, most commonly the posterior semicircular canal. The debris is most commonly thought to be free in the canal (canalithiasis; see canalith) but can be attached to the *cupula (cupulolithiasis; see cupulolith). Diagnosis is by performing a *Dix–Hallpike test. Treatment is with a predetermined set of head movements to move the debris from the semicircular canal (see Epley particle repositioning manoeuvre; Semont liberatory manoeuvre; Brandt-Daroff exercises). Surgery is occasionally used to occlude the relevant semicircular canal, cut the *singular nerve or vestibular nerves, or perform a *labyrinthectomy. Drugs are generally ineffective in the treatment of this condition.... benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
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