As a charity, we rely on volunary contributions to provide this information. When this happens it is referred to as secondaries or metastases .
Some types of cancer are more likely to spread to the brain.
Doctors can recognize it is a secondary rather than a new primary because if the cells are examined under a microscope they look like the cells from the original type of cancer. For example if a lung cancer has spread to the brain the cells affected would resemble lung cells rather than brain cells. Cancer cells can break away from the primary tumour and travel through the body through the blood or lymphatic system. The idea of a secondary cancer affecting the brain can be extremely frightening. The brain controls the body, and not being in control is something everyone worries about.