Mass effect (medicine)

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This article is about the phenomenon in medicine. For other uses, see Mass effect (disambiguation).

In medicine, a mass effect is the effect of a growing mass (or tumor in its narrow meaning), for example the consequences of a growing cancer.

For example, cancer of the thyroid gland may cause symptoms due to compressions of certain structures of the head and neck; pressure on the laryngeal nerves may cause voice changes, narrowing of the windpipe may cause stridor, pressure on the gullet may cause dysphagia, and so on.

Surgical removal or debulking may alleviate the symptoms.