遠端轉移

遠端轉移（）也稱作惡性轉移，是指腫瘤細胞從原始發生的部位藉由侵入循環系統，轉移到身體其他部位繼續生長的過程。通常良性腫瘤不會產生遠端轉移，而發生轉移的病患預後情形都非常差。也因為癌細胞轉移到身體各部位，癌症治療上變得更為困難，幾乎不可能使用外科手術切除根治，多半只能用大範圍循環全身的放射治療或化療等手段來抑制已轉移的癌細胞繼續擴散生長。事實上，癌症病患的死亡常是在發生遠端轉移之後，由於癌細胞轉移到身體各重要器官持續生長，影響身體正常功能而導致死亡。所以一般遠端轉移的發生與否，常被視作癌症患者病程的嚴重程度及治療效果的指標。

参考文献

外部連接

Medical information about metastatic cancer
 Q&A: Metastatic Cancer —from the National Cancer Institute
 Invasion and Metastases —from Cancer Medicine e.5
 How Cancer Grows and Spreads—an interactive Flash presentation that explores the progression of a carcinoma from a single cell to metastasis; from Children's Hospital Boston

Charities and advocacy groups dealing with metastatic cancer
 The MetaCancer Foundation—resources and support for metastatic cancer survivors and their caregivers
 Metastatic Breast Cancer Network 
 Children's Cancer Research Charity for Metastatic Cancer in Kids 

肿瘤学