Final answer:
A doctor stating an exam result is "benign" indicates that any growth detected is non-cancerous, does not spread to other tissues, and generally poses no serious threat to health.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a doctor describes an exam's findings as "benign," it means that any growth or tumor detected is not harmful or cancerous. A benign tumor is a mass of cells that has grown in an uncontrolled way but does not have the ability to spread to other parts of the body or invade surrounding tissues, which is a characteristic of malignant or cancerous tumors.
Benign tumors typically can be easily removed or may not require immediate treatment and they do not pose a serious threat to health. This distinguishes benign tumors from malignant tumors which are indicative of actual cancer and can spread, or 'metastasize,' to other tissues.