The following table roughly distinguishes malignant from benign tumours:
| Benign tumour | Malignant tumour |
| Differentiated, Rare mitoses, Slow growth, No local invasion, No destruction of normal tissue, Surrounded by a capsule, No relapse after complete exeresis, No node metastasis, No remote metastasis No or little influence on the host |
Well to poorly differentiated, Frequent mitoses, Generally fast growing, Local invasion of neighbouring tissues, Destruction of normal structures, No clear limits, Quick local relapse if no complete exeresis, Node metastases Remote metastasis, Death of the host. |
For many epithelial tumours, there are intermediary forms between typically benign and typically malignant tumours, known as borderline tumours, microinvasive tumours, in situ tumours.
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