What is metastasis in cancer? Malignant tumor and metastases

click fraud protection

Cancer is called the king of disease. In terms of the number of deaths, he took the 2nd place in world statistics. People are afraid of the diagnosis of "cancer", fall into despair at the word "metastases".But it is not all that bad. Modern medicine has long refuted the view that the disease is incurable. What is "cancer" and what is metastasis in cancer? Let's understand.

Is cancer a malignant tumor?

Often, every malignant tumor is considered cancer. This name was introduced into medicine by Hippocrates, to whom the tumor looks like a crab( "karkinos" in Greek).Hence, carcinoma, or cancer. To understand what metastases are in cancer, let's try to explain simply and easily what is cancer.

Imagine that in your body from some evil, an ordinary good cell suddenly turned into a monster with a round rather than elongated body, several cores and several other mutations. This monster began to share uncontrollably, producing such monsters. So it turned out the primary tumor. Good cells, in contact with neighbors and "seeing" that there is little space, stop the division. This is called contact braking. Our monster does not react to it. His progeny presses on neighbors, causing negative changes in them. Moreover, the monster has become almost immortal, since the programmed nature of cell death( or apoptosis) is now very poorly expressed in it. For their further successful growth, monster cells stimulate the development of new blood vessels in the tumor, and for their protection they produce special toxins that suppress the antitumor immunity available in the body. Also, they are able to deceive the immune control and escape from T-killer cells.

instagram stories viewer

What is "metastasis"?

With a tumor is understandable. It remains to add that monster cells can appear in the human body anywhere, in any organ. They do not spare either children or adults, but more often they hit those who are over 50. Let's try to understand what metastases are in cancer. The family of monsters grows and gradually spreads, penetrating into neighboring organs( regional metastases).Moreover, they need to capture the entire body, for which the mutant cells break away from their maternal formation, enter the blood and / or lymph and are carried with their current through the patient's body( distant metastases).

In the first case they are called hematogenous, and in the second lymphogenous. At a new location, the mutant cells become fixed, and everything repeats. This process in medicine is called metastasis. Some experts believe that it begins immediately after the onset of the primary tumor, others - that only after the transition of the disease in later stages. Still others believe that metastasis begins immediately, but not always immediately develops. We are talking about the so-called dormant metastases, the appearance of which affects partial cancer treatment.

Stages of cancer

There is no single classification of cancer stages, but most specialists adhere to the TNM system. Here the stages are distinguished:

  • That - the tumor is not determined at the clinical examination.
  • Tis - without metastases, that is, sitting on the spot.
  • T1 - almost the same as the previous stage. At this stage, treatment is usually successful. The only problem is that the cancer in the first stage can only be detected by accident or with special examinations.
  • T2 - cancer has metastasized, but so far regional. The forecast here is quite favorable, although more complex.
  • T3 - does not differ much from T2.Some experts believe that at this stage, apart from regional, there are single remote metastases. Symptoms in stage 3 can be blurred, and pain can be absent, which makes diagnosis difficult. In general, stage 3 cancer, like any other, is determined conditionally. For each organ there are its own criteria and its clinical picture.
  • T4 is the last stage in which metastases spread both to neighboring organs and to distant organs. Patients at the same time experiencing severe pain, weakness, lose weight. As a rule, lethal outcome causes cancer of the 4th degree with metastases. How many such patients live, it is impossible to say exactly. On the photo, placed below, oncomarkers of metastases are shown.

Metastasis stages

Metastases have their own gradation, denoted by the letter M. Only remote formations are considered here.

  • Mx - the presence of metastases is unknown, since no studies have been performed;
  • Mo - distant tumor formations were not found;
  • M1 - detected the presence of distant metastases.

Thus, the expression "metastases of the 4th degree" implies the 4th degree of cancer.

These secondary tumor formations can arise in any organ, but most often affect the liver, brain, lungs, bone tissue and fatty tissue. With cancer of the stomach, ovaries, pancreas, intestines and uterus, metastases are also possible in the peritoneum.

What is the main danger of oncological diseases?

The answer to the question about what metastases are in cancer will not be complete, if not to say that it is not so much a primary tumor that is fatal, as its regional, and especially remote, secondary foci. This condition is called metastatic cancer. He, as a rule, manifests significant pain, which is often the main reason for the patient to go to the doctor. This cancer is dangerous, mainly because of the complexity of detecting the localization of all metastases, which leads to incomplete treatment through surgical intervention and radiation therapy. Only chemotherapy( use of drugs), hormone and immunotherapy affect all metastases at once, but, unfortunately, often such treatment is not enough.

Forecasts

They directly depend on the organ in which metastases are found. How much remains to live patient, also depends on the general condition of the body, from the location and stage of the initial tumor, from the treatment that can be carried out. If you do not do anything, the life of a person is calculated in months, from 1 to 6. If you make every effort, have a positive attitude and a great desire to defeat the disease, life expectancy increases at times. So, with multifaceted treatment of metastases in the lungs, patients live up to 10 years, and in the liver - up to 5 years. The most bad are metastases in the brain. This is due to the specific nature of the organ and the difficulties in carrying out many known to date methods of treatment. The most favorable prognosis for this disease is to live about 2 years. This is possible with surgical intervention with subsequent irradiation and complex treatment.

Can I avoid cancer?

This question interests, perhaps, everyone. Research Institute of Oncology in Russia and other countries are conducting thousands of studies to reveal the causes of cell mutations. To the main cancer causing in any organ, scientists include eating food containing carcinogens, any kind of radiation( radiation, ultraviolet and others), certain types of viruses( for example, papilloma), genetic predisposition, frequent stresses and a wrong way of life. There are also specific factors. Thus, it is noted that lung cancer more often affects smokers than nonsmokers, and liver and stomach cancer - abusing alcohol. Therefore, excluding these factors from their lives, we reduce the risk of the disease. But even in the case of an unfavorable diagnosis, you can not succumb to despair. Nowadays even the third stage of cancer is treated quite successfully. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the diagnosis.

Diagnosis

One of the unpleasant features of a malignant tumor is that in the early stages it almost never shows any symptoms. The exception is skin cancer and some other organs in which tumor formations can be seen visually. Another feature is that the symptoms of cancer and other diseases are similar. This:

  • fast fatigue;
  • weight loss;
  • lack of appetite;
  • suddenly appeared seals and swelling;
  • increased sweating;
  • anemia.

If you have these symptoms, you need to consult an oncologist, who will conduct a clinical examination( palpation of questionable areas, X-rays, anamnesis).For more accurate diagnosis, it is advisable to go to the cancer center where a number of studies are performed: X-ray, MRI, computed tomography, endoscopy, biochemical blood tests and analyzes with oncomarkers, biopsy.

Symptoms of metastases may include:

  • enlarged lymph nodes;
  • cough with metastatic lung;
  • enlarged liver;
  • with metastases in bone tissues - pain in the limbs, frequent fractures;
  • in the brain - various neurological problems, impaired vision, coordination of movements, hearing, speech, epileptic seizures.

Diagnosis is the same as for primary tumors.

Treatment of

Most cancer patients are treated at their place of residence. However, if possible, it is desirable to check the diagnosis in the federal oncology center, where the state-of-the-art equipment is available, and top-level specialists work on the latest technologies. In Moscow it is the Oncology Center named after Blokhin and the Oncological Institute named after Herzen. Any Russian citizen can get there, after having taken a referral from his doctor and signed up for an appointment. In St. Petersburg, this is the Petrov Oncology Research Institute.

These centers perform surgical removal of the tumor, if possible, and perform the following therapies:

  • radiotherapy( radiosurgery);
  • chemotherapy;
  • immune;
  • gene( quite effective treatment by affecting the genetic apparatus of the patient).