According to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), if we could stop metastasis, we would stop about 90 percent of all cancer deaths. Check out these FAQs to learn more about this critical event:
What is metastasis?
Metastasis occurs when cells break away from a primary tumor (where the cancer starts) and travels through the patient’s bloodstream or lymphatic system to another site in the body. Many of these traveling cancer cells die, but some may find their way to other organs, take root and develop new tumors there.
If a tumor metastasizes, it’s still named after the primary cancer. For example, breast cancer that metastasizes to the lungs is called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer. However, the cancer cells that have metastasized may be altered by their journey, and so may require different treatment than the primary tumor. (For more information on which cancers tend to metastasize where, visit the American Cancer Society.)
How is metastasis detected?
Sometimes, a primary cancer isn’t detected until the metastatic cancer causes symptoms, such as pain, seizures, or bone fractures. Like primary tumors, metastatic cancers are traditionally discovered by x-rays, CT, MRI and PET scans, or biopsies and lab tests.
Doctors and scientist are also experimenting with easier, less invasive and more information-rich methods of detecting metastatic cancer. At Epic Sciences, we have a way of spotting just a few rare circulating tumor cells—metastatic cancer cells in the midst of their journey—in a simple blood sample. Our test provides real-time information about a patient’s particular metastatic cancer cells, and these cells can be further analyzed for genomic and proteomic clues to their origin and best chance for treatment. Since the test is simple, we can perform it regularly to monitor the individual’s cancer as it changes over time—and personalize his or her treatment course accordingly.
How is metastasis treated?
According to the National Cancer Institute, metastatic cancer may be treated with systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy, or hormonal therapy; local therapy, such as surgery or radiation therapy; or a combination of these treatments. Treatment depends on the type of primary cancer, the extent to which it has metastasized, the age and health of the patient and other factors.
Newer types of cancer therapies are also being investigated. In immunotherapy, for example, scientists and doctors are working to enlist patients’ own natural immune response to fight primary and metastatic cancers. Scientists are also looking for ways to block metastasis at each step along the journey from primary to secondary tumor.
Cancer treatments are becoming more personalized, too. The more we know about a person’s unique cancer, the better we will be able to provide the right treatment to the right person at the right time—where it will do the most good and cause the least harm.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. If you’d like to find out more about Epic’s research on lung cancer, click here.