This process refers to the spread of cancer from its original site to other areas in the body.
Cancer cells have the ability to invade the blood vessels and find their way into the bloodstream.
Once in the blood, cancer cells can go to virtually any part of the body and make a home for themselves. Each cancer has a particular way of spreading. Early metastatic disease may have no signs at all. The more advanced a cancer, the more signs the patient will demonstrate. An effort should be made to determine the extent of every cancer and the potential sites of metastasis must be studied.