Surgical Oncologist Questions Benign Tumors

Do all tumors need to be removed?

I have benign tumor underneath my armpit, and my doctor feels like a removal is still necessary. It's not cancerous though, and it's not exactly a huge tumor (like I feel I can manage with it). If the tumor isn't going to cause harm to my body and I'm pretty much okay with it, why would I need it removed?

3 Answers

Even though it is not malignant, it can still grow and would make it more difficult to remove later.
A quick answer to your question is... No, not all tumors need to be removed. If you have had something (like a mass) for a while and it does not bother you then it is unlikely cancer and does not need to be removed. If anything changes though, you may want to consider removal to verify that it is not a cancer.

That being said, there are some benign processes that can continue to grow and cause issues by the size alone. If you have it removed now, it may be much easier to perform the surgery and with less complications then if you need it removed in the future.
Not all benign tumors need to be removed. The key however, is to be sure that it is a benign tumor. The other reasons to remove benign tumors is if they are symptomatic or growing.