Which statement describes malignant disease?

• A. Benign; not cancerous or spreading.
• B. Cancerous or capable of spreading.
• C. A skin condition.
• D. An infectious disease.

Answer: (B)

Malignant disease refers to cancers that are cancerous and capable of invading nearby tissues and spreading (metastasizing) to distant parts of the body. This is what sets malignant conditions apart from benign tumors, which are not cancerous and do not spread. A skin condition is a broad, non-specific category that doesn’t inherently describe cancer behavior, and an infectious disease is caused by pathogens—not by the cancerous property of invasion and spread. So the statement that malignant disease is cancerous or capable of spreading best captures the defining feature.