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Explain what is meant by metastasis?

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Metastasis

Metastasis is a property of cancer cells. A pathogenic agent spreads to another or a secondary place inside the body of the host via a process called metastasis. The phrase is often used with reference to a malignant tumour's spread. Consequently, the newly pathological areas are metastases. Generally speaking, it is contrasted with cancer invasion, which is the direct expansion and penetration of cancer cells into nearby tissues.

The property of metastasis is exhibited by malignant tumours. It is the pathological process of spreading cancerous cells to different body parts. These cells divide uncontrollably, forming a mass of cells called tumours. From the tumour, some cells get sloughed off and enter the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, these cells reach distant parts of the body and, therefore, initiate the formation of new tumours by dividing actively.

What Causes Metastases to Grow?

The word "metastasis" is pluralised as "metastases". When cancer cells break from the primary tumour and enter the lymphatic or bloodstream of the body, metastases are most often created. These systems transport bodily fluids. This indicates that cancer cells have the ability to spread beyond the initial tumour and create new cancers when they establish and develop in other areas of the body.

Additionally, metastatic growth may occur when cancerous cells from the primary tumour break and spread to adjacent organs like the liver, bones or lungs.

Where is Cancer Able to Spread?

Almost every bodily component is susceptible to cancerous spread. However, certain tumours have a strong tendency to spread to specific regions. Here are a few prevalent cancers and the locations where they often metastasis, for instance:

  • The liver, chest wall, lungs, brain, and bones are common sites of breast cancer metastasis.
  • Brain, adrenal glands, liver and bones are common sites of lung cancer metastasis.
  • Bones are often affected by prostate cancer.
  • The liver and lungs often become sites of colon and rectal cancer.

Less often, cancer may spread to the skin, muscles, or other bodily organs.

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