What is metastasis?
When cancer spreads from the site, where it started, to another body part, it is called metastasis. Metastatic cancer is also called “stage 4 cancer” or “advanced cancer”. However, the phrase “advanced cancer” is also used to refer to a large malignant tumour or locally advanced cancer.
How does metastasis take place?
Metastases usually develop when malignant cells break away from the primary site of their formation and travel to other part of the body through lymphatic system or bloodstream. If the malignant cells invade the local regions, it is called locally advanced cancer in medical lexicon.
Any type of cancer can metastasize. Whether or not metastasis occurs depends on many factors as follows:
- The profile of cancer
- How fast the cancer grows.
- How the cancer behaves
Cancer treatment is much improved these days. It is possible to receive the best metastatic cancer treatment in Kolkata.
Where can cancer metastasize?
Cancer can metastasize to any part of the body. Some types of cancer tend to metastasize to certain body parts. For example:
- Breast cancer usually spreads to chest wall, bones, brain, liver, and lungs.
- Lung cancer usually spreads to bones, brain, adrenal gland and liver.
- Rectal and colon cancer usually spreads to lungs and liver.
- Prostate cancer usually spreads to bones.
Cancer can also spread to muscle, skin and other parts of the body though it is not a usual pattern of metastasis. Cancer cells can invade pleural cavity, which is the lining around the lungs. Cancer cells can also cause fluid build-up in these regions, which is referred to as malignant ascites or malignant effusion.
Even after the cancer spreads to other regions in the body, it is still called by the name as same as the original cancer. For example, if breast cancer spreads to lungs, it will be called metastatic breast cancer and not lung cancer.
Can treatment cure metastatic cancer?
In some cases – though it is rare – treatment can cure metastatic cancer. Usually, metastatic cancers have treatment but no cure. In fact, the best oncology hospital in India offers lifelong treatment for metastatic cancer patients. In other words, the patients with metastatic cancer undergo treatment until their last breath.
Oncologists offer treatment to slow the growth of the cancer and alleviate or reduce the symptoms. With the recent advancement in cancer treatment, it is sometimes possible to live for months or years with particular types of cancer, ever after metastasis develops.
The following factors determine how well or whether the treatment will work:
- The type of cancer
- The genetic profile of tumour
- How fast the cancer is growing
- Where the cancer has spread
- The volume of cancer
- The course of treatment
Metastatic cancer patients should talk to their oncologists about the objective of the treatment. However, the objective may change depending on if and how the cancer responds to the treatment. It is also important to know if the treatment ensures quality of life while trying to kill cancer cells or stop their growth. Palliative care is important for the cancer patients and should be a part of their cancer treatment plan.