Growth rates of benign and malignant neoplasms of the colon.

In summary, there is a wide, natural variance in rates of growth of benign and malignant neoplasms of the lower bowel. There is a crude correlation between growth rate and histopathology. The difference between DT(act) and DT(pot) is manifold. Primary surface desquamating cancers probably grow much slower than their metastases. These factors are of importance in understanding neoplastic behavior and in designing detection and treatment protocols. The gap in knowledge is for in vivo growth rates and mathematical patterns of growth in the period before a neoplasm reaches the threshold size permitting observation. The rates of growth are very relevant to screening and diagnostic strategies.