What is meant by the terms ‘metastatic’ or ‘secondary cancer’?
Terminology is important. “Metastatic cancer” refers to the spread of primary cancer cells from the place where they first formed (primary site) to another part of the body. These ‘secondary sites’ or ‘disease spread’ are called metastases. This is distinctly different to those who may have 2 different types of cancer at the same time - for example, a bowel cancer AND a neuroendocrine cancer. Both are primary cancers, and the term “secondary primary cancer” may be used. How do metastases occur? Metastases occur when cancer cells break away from the original (primary) cancer, and travel through the blood or lymph system, to form a new site of disease in another organ or part of the body. This new site of disease, called a metastasis, will be formed by the same kind of cancer cells as those found in the primary site. For example - if your primary site is the small bowel and it has spread to the liver - the metastases in the liver will be formed by cancer cells that have come from the small bowel. They will ‘small bowel liver metastases’.
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