The main reason that cancer is so serious is its ability to spread in the body. Cancer cells can spread locally by moving into nearby normal tissue. Cancer can also spread regionally, to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs. And it can spread to distant parts of the body. When this happens, it is called metastatic cancer. For many types of cancer, it is also called stage IV (four) cancer. The process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body is called metastasis.
When observed under a microscope and tested in other ways, metastatic cancer cells have features like that of the primary cancer and not like the cells in the place where the cancer is found. This is how doctors can tell that it is cancer that has spread from another part of the body.
Metastatic cancer has the same name as the primary cancer. For example, breast cancer that spreads to the lung is called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer. It is treated as stage IV breast cancer, not as lung cancer.
Sometimes when people are diagnosed with metastatic cancer, doctors cannot tell where it started. This type of cancer is called cancer of unknown primary origin, or CUP. See the Carcinoma of Unknown Primary page for more information.
When a new primary cancer occurs in a person with a history of cancer, it is known as a second primary cancer. Second primary cancers are rare. Most of the time, when someone who has had cancer has cancer again, it means the first primary cancer has returned.
Last Updated on: Nov 21, 2024List of Open Access Journals View More
Review of Cell Science Journal
RCSJ welcome researchers, pharma companies, professors, scientists, biologists, biotechnologists, immunologists, stem cell researchers, clinical scientists, molecular biologists to contribute current research work to the scientific world....View More
International Journal of Biomedical Science and Research
International Journal of Biomedical Science and Research is an Open Access, peer-reviewed, academic journal that provides an area to share the information by medical scientists and researchers on the topics of biomedical science. Biomedical Science is the field of study that focuses on the areas of biology...View More
Endocrinology and Endocrine System
Endocrinology and Endocrine System is an Open Access journal which aims to develop knowledge and to share the information freely by making them available through online without any restrictions or any other subscriptions to researchers worldwide and also to the readers globally...View More
Academic Journal of Chemical Engineering
AJCE is a scholarly open access peer-reviewed journal aim to publish be valuable source of information in field of Chemical science, biophysics, engineering, environmental science, medicine, physical science current research in the field....View More
Public Health and Epidemiology: Open Access Journal
PHEOAJ is a scholarly open access peer-reviewed journal aim to publish be valuable source of information both experimental and theoretical in the field of Public health, Epidemiology, Health care system...View More
Department of Applied Food and Nutrition Journal
DAFNJ is a scholarly open access peer-reviewed journal aim to publish be valuable source of information both clinical, experimental and theoretical in field of Food science, Food policy and Nutrition....View More