In: Biology
What is metastatic cancer; how would you know a cancer is
metastasized or is a new/original tumor?
Cancer cells can potentially proliferate and spread to surrounding healthy tissue. The affected (Cancerous) cells spread not only to surrounding tissues, organs or lymph nodes but also to other parts of the body that are present at a distance. At this stage, cancer will be called metastatic Cancer (or Stage 4 Cancer). Many a time the term ‘advanced cancer’ is used in place of ‘metastatic cancer’, but it isn’t necessarily correct. For example, ‘locally advanced cancer' would mean cancer has spread to surrounding lymph nodes or organs, but it would rather be incorrect to say that it has spread to the whole body.
Experts can tell if cancer is metastasized or is a new/original tumour by closely observing the affected cells under a microscope followed by doing certain tests on the basis of observable symptoms.
The name of a metastatic cancer is given after the name of primary cancer at the site of origin. Like, cancer in the breast cells that have reached to the lung would be called metastatic breast cancer and not lung cancer. However when the site of origin is not identified then such cancer is called cancer of Unknown primary origin (CUP).