benign

DEFINITION of benign

The term benign in medicine typically describes a condition that is mild, non-progressive, or not life-threatening. Most frequently, it is used in oncology and pathology to describe a neoplasm (tumor) that is non-cancerous. Benign tumors are generally well-differentiated (resembling normal tissue), grow slowly, and are often encapsulated (enclosed within a fibrous capsule). Critically, benign growths do not invade adjacent healthy tissues and do not metastasize (spread) to distant parts of the body. While not cancerous, a benign tumor can still require surgical intervention if its growth causes a mass effect, compressing surrounding organs, nerves, or blood vessels (e.g., a benign meningioma in the brain).

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ETYMOLOGY of benign

latin

Component	Origin	Meaning
benign	Latin benignus	”Kind”, “good”, or “well-born”

The Latin term originates from bene (“well” or “good”) combined with the root of gignere (“to bear” or “beget”). In early medical history, diseases were often anthropomorphized by their “disposition.” A “benign” illness was considered mild, relatively harmless, and expected to have a favorable outcome, standing in stark contrast to “malignant” (wicked or malicious) conditions.

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🔀 ALIASES / ALTERNATE TERMS

• Non-cancerous
• Non-malignant
• Benign tumor
• Benign neoplasm
• Innocent murmur (when applied to cardiology, meaning a harmless heart murmur)
• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (a specific benign enlargement condition)

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🔗 RELATED TERMS

• Malignant — cancerous, aggressive, capable of invading local tissue and metastasizing.
• Neoplasm — an abnormal mass of tissue resulting from excessive cell division; can be benign or malignant.
• lipoma — a very common benign tumor composed of adipose (fat) tissue.
• adenoma — a benign tumor arising from glandular epithelial tissue (e.g., colon polyps, pituitary adenomas).
• Fibroadenoma — a common benign solid tumor of the breast.
• Hyperplasia — a non-neoplastic increase in the number of normal cells in an organ or tissue.
• Cyst — a closed sac with a distinct membrane, often containing fluid or semi-solid material; usually benign but structurally distinct from a solid tumor.

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CODING CORNER

🏥 ICD-10-CM CODES

Benign Neoplasms (Examples)

Code	Description
D12.6	Benign neoplasm of colon, unspecified
D17.9	Benign lipomatous neoplasm, unspecified (Lipoma)
D22.9	Melanocytic nevi, unspecified (Benign mole)
D24.9	Benign neoplasm of unspecified breast
D32.0	Benign neoplasm of cerebral meninges
D36.9	Benign neoplasm, unspecified site

Other Benign Conditions

Code	Description
N40.0	Benign prostatic hyperplasia without lower urinary tract symptoms
I10	Essential (primary) hypertension (historically termed “benign hypertension”)
D25.9	Leiomyoma of uterus, unspecified (Benign uterine fibroid)

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🔧 COMMON CPT CODES (Benign Lesion Procedures)

CPT Code	Description
11400	Excision, benign lesion including margins, except skin tag (unless listed elsewhere), trunk, arms or legs; excised diameter 0.5 cm or less
11420	Excision, benign lesion including margins, except skin tag (unless listed elsewhere), scalp, neck, hands, feet, genitalia; excised diameter 0.5 cm or less
45385	Colonoscopy, flexible; with removal of tumor(s), polyp(s), or other lesion(s) by snare technique
88305	Level IV - Surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (The standard pathology evaluation used to confirm a lesion is benign)

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⚠️ Coding Note: In ICD-10-CM, you must use the Table of Neoplasms to locate the exact site and then select the code from the “Benign” column (typically in the D10-D36 range).

Crucial rule: Do not assign a “Benign” code based purely on a physician’s clinical impression if a pathology report is pending. If the excision is done and pathology is sent, wait for the path report. If coding must be completed before the path report is available, use a code for the physical sign/symptom (e.g., “mass,” “lump,” “lesion”) or a code from the “Unspecified behavior” column (D49.-), depending on specific facility guidelines.

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DERIVATIONS of benign

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medterm 
WHERE length(filter(roots, (word) => econtains([[]].roots, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[]].file.name
SORT file.name ASC

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Query functionality

TABLE definition AS Definition
FROM #medterm 
WHERE length(filter(definition, (word) => econtains([[]].definition, word))) > 0 AND file.name != [[]].file.name

Med roots Appendix A Prefixes Appendix B Combining Forms Appendix C Suffixes Appendix D Suffix forms