Difference between lesion and tumor?

A friend asked me if there is a difference between lesions and tumors. Her friend has bc and she's very concerned. I don't know if there is a difference, and if so, what the differences are. Does someone here know?

I don't think there is really a difference. Lesions can also be benign just like tumors. I have had my cancer called a lesion and also called a tumor. Then there was a rad tech who hated the word cancer and only referred to it as "the disease". I know that not all lesions are cancer. Maybe it is called one or the other based on its appearance/size/location. Not sure. But I know they are not always cancer. One of my test results referred to benign lesions on my cervix, I forget the name they were given, but they were benign. I'm not sure if this helped. Just my understanding.

It does help. I was thinking lesions were like surface only....like a scrape or brush burn and not into the other layers. I don't want to give my friend wrong info.

I had the same question about lesions, as my pre-op CT revealed a tiny lesion on my liver, "too small to characterize." I asked the gastroenterologist who did my colonoscopy about the meaning of the word. He said that "lesion" is a "general term of localized pathological condition in an organ" and that it does not necessarily imply node or cyst or malignant or benign. A lesion could be the result of injury or disease. All that's basically what Ialwaysworry said.

In my case, the term lesion was used because the exact nature of the abnormality was not known.

I used to think that lesions referred only to injuries on the surface because I had only heard the word in the phrase "skin lesions."

Hi Vega,

I have a 'lesion' on my parotid salivary gland - it is 8mm x 5mm and well circumscribed - my surgeon also described it as a tumor. (Surgery next month). I am not sure there is a difference - I have been googling and can't find that there is.
Jan