How Cancer Cells Spread in the Body

Cancer can sometimes be found in several parts of the body. Most of the time, these are not separate types of cancer. Rather, cancer has developed in one organ and spread to other areas. When cancer spreads, it’s called metastasis.

In metastasis, cancer cells break away from where they first formed, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form new tumors in other parts of the body. Cancer can spread to almost anywhere in the body. But it commonly moves into your bones, liver, or lungs.

When these new tumors form, they are made of the same kind of cancer cells as the original tumor. For example, lung cancer cells that are found in the brain don’t look like brain cells. This disease would be called metastatic lung cancer, not brain cancer.

Cancer cells can be sent to the lab for test