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Metastasis occurs when cancer cells break away from the primary tumor and grow a new, secondary tumor in other organs or tissues. Benign tumors do not metastasize, while malignant tumors can be lethal. Angiogenesis is critical for metastasis, and some types of cancer are more likely to produce metastatic cells in certain areas of the body. Doctors can determine whether a tumor is primary or secondary based on the type of cells that make it up.
In cancer, metastasis occurs when cells break away from the primary tumor and are carried through the body to other organs and tissues where they attach themselves to and grow a new, secondary tumor. Usually, metastatic cells become squeezed into the blood or lymphatic systems, so secondary cancers can occur far from the original cancer. A primary tumor can usually be treated with patients who are often cured. If tumor metastases have occurred, the prognosis is much grimmer. Many cancer-related deaths are actually caused by secondary cancers resulting from metastases.
Tumors can manifest in two different states, benign and malignant. A benign tumor does not grow as aggressively or rapidly as a malignant one, does not invade surrounding tissue, and does not metastasize. Benign tumors are often harmless to an individual’s health and are not usually classified as a type of cancer. Malignant tumors, or tumors, are much more aggressive and can be lethal. A common feature of a malignant cancer is that it can go through a stage of metastasis.
For a tumor to metastasize, a complex series of steps must take place. Cancer researchers have discovered that angiogenesis is critical for metastasis of a primary cancer. Angiogenesis is the development of a new blood vessel system. When it comes to cancer, the new blood vessel system occurs within the tumor. Because the new blood vessels are inside the tumor itself, it is much easier for the cancer cells to break off and then be transported through the circulatory system to a new site.
Metastasis is more common with some types of cancer than others. Melanomas of the lung, breast, colon, kidney, and skin are common sites where a primary tumor produces metastatic cells. There are also common areas of the body where secondary cancers are more likely to occur, such as the adrenal glands, bones, brain, and liver. Some types of cancer also tend to spread to a particular area. For example, prostate cancer usually creates metastatic bone cancer, and stomach cancer in women tends to metastasize to the ovaries.
When cancer is diagnosed in a patient, a doctor can usually easily determine whether the tumor is primary or secondary based on the type of cells that make it up. Primary tumors are made up of abnormal cells from the surrounding tissue. If the tumor is a secondary tumor, it is made up of abnormal cells from the original tumor, not the surrounding tissue where it exists. For example, lung cancer would consist only of abnormal lung cells if it were a primary tumor. If the cancer was actually caused by metastasis from a skin melanoma, the cancer cells in the lung would actually be skin cells and not lung cells.
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