The term, metastatic, describes a cancer that has spread to distant organs from the original tumor site.
Breast cancer has the potential to spread to almost any region of the body.
The most common region breast cancer spreads to is bone, followed by lung and liver. Treatment of metastatic breast cancer generally focuses on relieving symptoms and extending a woman's lifetime. One or more of the lymph nodes are usually removed during breast surgery to determine whether the nodes are involved. In some cases, breast cancer may spread to other regions of the body without involving the axillary lymph nodes. In some cases, cancer may spread through the bloodstream without being detected in the lymphatic system.