Metastatic cancer (sometimes improperly referred to as metastasic cancer) refers to a cancer that has spread from its primary bodily location to other regions of your body. For instance, if you have breast cancer, it is considered metastatic if it has already spread to regions such as your lymph nodes. Metastases are evidence of cancer that has progressed beyond its initial isolated stage. Thus, cure rates for metastatic cancer are often lower than those for Stage I cancer. That said, cure rates depend on how far the cancer has metastasized (spread) and what type of cancer you have.
Proper Treatment in the Early Stages
If you are diagnosed with cancer that is in the early stages and has not metastasized, follow your doctor's treatment recommendations to prevent metastatic cancer. Doctors will treat most cases of cancer with chemotherapy (chemicals that kill the cancer cells). Chemotherapy regimens often occur a few times a week for up to a year. Usually, your doctor will give you a rest period between each multiweek chemotherapy cycle. A strict treatment plan and proper follow-up with your doctor will ensure that you isolate and eliminate the cancer before it has had a chance to spread to other regions of the body. Since chemotherapy takes a while and produces many unpleasant side effects, many people stop prematurely. To decrease your chances of metastatic cancer, remain dedicated to your chemotherapy regimen.
Lymph Node Metastatic Cancer
Unfortunately, many types of cancer such as pancreatic cancer are not symptomatic until they have already developed into metastatic cancer. Other types of cancer, like colon cancer, may only present vague symptoms in the early stages and more noticeable symptoms once they have advanced and spread through the bloodstream. Thus, treating the cancer only at its initial site is impossible. Cancers that have only spread to the lymph nodes will benefit from many of the same treatments that help cure Stage I (non-metastasized) cancer. For instance, in addition to a surgical removal of the regions affected by cancer, your doctor may also remove the lymph nodes to which the cancer has spread. In addition, you will undergo chemotherapy and possibly radiation therapy to ensure that you kill all the cancer cells. Cancer that has only spread to one or two lymph nodes is still considered early-stage cancer for most cancers and is thus still responsive to many of the same treatments as Stage I cancer.
Distant Metastasis
After a cancer spreads to the surrounding lymph nodes, its path of metastasis depends on the type of cancer. For instance, colon cancer will often spread from the lymph nodes to the liver. Once cancer spreads beyond the lymph nodes, its staging is considered more advanced (typically Stage IV cancer). When cancer has spread to multiple sites, surgery may be used to remove a portion of the affected organs but is usually not the only strategy. Doctors will often treat advanced metastatic cancer with chemotherapy, radiation and a range of emerging therapies such as cryoablation (freezing the cancer cells), heat therapy or even injections of alcohol-based solutions into the tumor(s). As research continues, these experimental therapies may become more regular treatment options.
Unfortunately, your chances of recovery are greatly decreased when the cancer has metastasized to multiple regions. Yet as experimental techniques show progress, and cancer agencies such as the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute receive more funding, the chances of a true cure for metastatic cancer increase daily.
Tags: lymph nodes, metastatic cancer, your doctor, cancer cells, Stage cancer
