How Metastatic Cancer to the Lungs Differs From Primary Lung Cancer

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCancers Likely to MetastasizeHow Cancer SpreadsSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosisFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Cancers Likely to Metastasize

How Cancer Spreads

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Treatment

Prognosis

Frequently Asked Questions

Metastatic cancer to the lungs means that cancerfrom another region of the body has spread to the lungs. Another term for metastatic cancer to the lungs is secondary cancer in the lungs, as theprimary canceris the place in the body where cancer began or originated.

For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lungs, it would be called breast cancer withmetastasisto the lungs, or breast cancer with lung metastases. It wouldn’t be called lung cancer because if you were to look at a metastasic tumor under a microscope, you would see that they are cancerous breast cells, not cancerous lung cells.

As an important aside, if you are looking for information on cancer which begins in the lungs and then spreads to other regions of the body, check outmetastatic (stage 4) lung cancer.

Verywell / Hilary Allison

You may be surprised to learn that lung metastases are quite common. While almost any cancer can spread to the lungs, some are more likely than others to do so. With that, the most common types of cancer that metastasize to the lungs include:

Pulmonary metastases occur also very often in sarcoma, a relatively rare type of cancer. As many as 20% of soft tissue sarcomas and up to 40% of bone sarcomas develop lung metastases.

Occasionally, healthcare providers are unable to determine the primary site of cancer. In this case, they refer to the cancer as a cancer of unknown origin with metastasis to the lungs.

While normal cells can be thought of as being “sticky,” since they have adhesion molecules that keep them in together in place,cancer cells are different. They do not make these adhesion molecules, allowing them to break free and travel as they please.

When traveling, cancer cells may extend directly to the lungs, such as cancers that begin in the esophagus or chest wall. But most cancer cells travel indirectly, throughthree possible ways:

Lung metastases often do not cause any symptoms. When this is the case, the metastases may be found on a radiological exam, like a CT scan, done to look for the presence of the spread of cancer.

If symptoms are present, they are often similar tosymptoms of primary lung cancer, like:

Since metastatic cancer implies that the primary cancer has spread through the body, general symptoms such as fatigue,unexplained weight loss, and decreased appetite are common as well.

If your healthcare provider suspects that you have lung metastases, there are several tests she may consider. These include:

The results of these imaging studies may provide enough evidence of metastases, although a biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Chemotherapyis often the treatment of choice and is usually given aspalliative therapy, which is therapy given to prolong survival and decrease symptoms. Palliative therapy is not intended to cure the cancer. Even so, in rare instances, like with testicular cancer metastatic to the lungs, chemotherapy may be curative. Clinical trials are now in progress studying inhaled chemotherapy, with the hope that delivering chemotherapy directly to the lungs will be effective with fewer side effects.

Occasionally, surgical treatment of lung metastases (called metastasectomy) is considered. In order for this to be effective, your healthcare provider will want to make sure that your primary tumor is completely removed, and that all the metastases are able to be technically resected (surgically taken out). When this is the case, metastasectomy may improve your survival.

Unfortunately, cancer that has spread to the lungs (called stage 4 cancer) is usually not curable. That said, it is often very treatable, and your healthcare provider will talk with you about treatments that may lengthen your life, as well as give you the best quality of life possible.

The survival rate, defined as the percentage of people who live five years or more after their cancer is diagnosed, varies widely depending on the primary tumor. For instance, survival is highest for tumors like testicular cancer that has spread to the lungs (73% five-year survival rate).

The upside here is that it’s likely that the prognosis for cancer with lung metastases will improve in the near future. Already some stage 4 cancers have responded to treatments, such asimmunotherapy, in ways that were unheard of only a few years ago.

A Word From Verywell

Lung metastases or metastatic cancer to the lung occurs when a cancer that originates in another area of the body, such as the breast or bladder, spreads to the lungs. Most people with lung metastases do not have symptoms, but they may experience a cough, chest pain, or hemoptysis.

Frequently Asked QuestionsMetastatic lung cancercan spread to any structure or organ in the body, including the brain, liver, lymph nodes, and adrenal glands. It is also known as stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Doctors will check to see where NSCLC has spread using tests and biopsies.Lung metastases symptoms include chest pain, regular coughing, coughing up blood, fluid accumulating around the lungs, reduced appetite, weight loss, and shortness of breath. Depending on the symptoms, certain types of medication can be prescribed to offer relief. For reoccurring shortness of breath, controlled opioids may be prescribed. If these do not work, anti-anxiety drugs may help.

Metastatic lung cancercan spread to any structure or organ in the body, including the brain, liver, lymph nodes, and adrenal glands. It is also known as stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Doctors will check to see where NSCLC has spread using tests and biopsies.

Lung metastases symptoms include chest pain, regular coughing, coughing up blood, fluid accumulating around the lungs, reduced appetite, weight loss, and shortness of breath. Depending on the symptoms, certain types of medication can be prescribed to offer relief. For reoccurring shortness of breath, controlled opioids may be prescribed. If these do not work, anti-anxiety drugs may help.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Metastatic Cancer.Cleveland Clinic.Metastatic cancer.Zhou H, Dong D, Chen B, et al.Diagnosis of distant metastasis of lung cancer: based on clinical and radiomic features.Transl Oncol. 2018;11(1):31-36. doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2017.10.010Rosière R, Berghmans T, De vuyst P, Amighi K, Wauthoz N.The position of inhaled chemotherapy in the care of patients with lung tumors: clinical feasibility and indications according to recent pharmaceutical progresses.Cancers(Basel). 2019;11(3). doi:10.3390/cancers11030329City of Hope.Testicular cancer stages.American Cancer Society.Lung Metastases.Additional ReadingBartlett EK et al.The rise in metastasectomy across cancer types over the past decade.Cancer. 2015;121(5):747-57. doi:10.1002/cncr.29134Miller KD, Nogueira L, Mariotto AB, et al.Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(5):363-385. doi:10.3322/caac.21565Wang H, Zhang C, Zhang J, Kong L, Zhu H, Yu J.The prognosis analysis of different metastasis pattern in patients with different breast cancer subtypes: a SEER based study.Oncotarget. 2017;8(16):26368-26379. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.14300

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Metastatic Cancer.Cleveland Clinic.Metastatic cancer.Zhou H, Dong D, Chen B, et al.Diagnosis of distant metastasis of lung cancer: based on clinical and radiomic features.Transl Oncol. 2018;11(1):31-36. doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2017.10.010Rosière R, Berghmans T, De vuyst P, Amighi K, Wauthoz N.The position of inhaled chemotherapy in the care of patients with lung tumors: clinical feasibility and indications according to recent pharmaceutical progresses.Cancers(Basel). 2019;11(3). doi:10.3390/cancers11030329City of Hope.Testicular cancer stages.American Cancer Society.Lung Metastases.Additional ReadingBartlett EK et al.The rise in metastasectomy across cancer types over the past decade.Cancer. 2015;121(5):747-57. doi:10.1002/cncr.29134Miller KD, Nogueira L, Mariotto AB, et al.Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(5):363-385. doi:10.3322/caac.21565Wang H, Zhang C, Zhang J, Kong L, Zhu H, Yu J.The prognosis analysis of different metastasis pattern in patients with different breast cancer subtypes: a SEER based study.Oncotarget. 2017;8(16):26368-26379. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.14300

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Cancer Institute.Metastatic Cancer.Cleveland Clinic.Metastatic cancer.Zhou H, Dong D, Chen B, et al.Diagnosis of distant metastasis of lung cancer: based on clinical and radiomic features.Transl Oncol. 2018;11(1):31-36. doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2017.10.010Rosière R, Berghmans T, De vuyst P, Amighi K, Wauthoz N.The position of inhaled chemotherapy in the care of patients with lung tumors: clinical feasibility and indications according to recent pharmaceutical progresses.Cancers(Basel). 2019;11(3). doi:10.3390/cancers11030329City of Hope.Testicular cancer stages.American Cancer Society.Lung Metastases.

National Cancer Institute.Metastatic Cancer.

Cleveland Clinic.Metastatic cancer.

Zhou H, Dong D, Chen B, et al.Diagnosis of distant metastasis of lung cancer: based on clinical and radiomic features.Transl Oncol. 2018;11(1):31-36. doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2017.10.010

Rosière R, Berghmans T, De vuyst P, Amighi K, Wauthoz N.The position of inhaled chemotherapy in the care of patients with lung tumors: clinical feasibility and indications according to recent pharmaceutical progresses.Cancers(Basel). 2019;11(3). doi:10.3390/cancers11030329

City of Hope.Testicular cancer stages.

American Cancer Society.Lung Metastases.

Bartlett EK et al.The rise in metastasectomy across cancer types over the past decade.Cancer. 2015;121(5):747-57. doi:10.1002/cncr.29134Miller KD, Nogueira L, Mariotto AB, et al.Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(5):363-385. doi:10.3322/caac.21565Wang H, Zhang C, Zhang J, Kong L, Zhu H, Yu J.The prognosis analysis of different metastasis pattern in patients with different breast cancer subtypes: a SEER based study.Oncotarget. 2017;8(16):26368-26379. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.14300

Bartlett EK et al.The rise in metastasectomy across cancer types over the past decade.Cancer. 2015;121(5):747-57. doi:10.1002/cncr.29134

Miller KD, Nogueira L, Mariotto AB, et al.Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2019. CA Cancer J Clin. 2019;69(5):363-385. doi:10.3322/caac.21565

Wang H, Zhang C, Zhang J, Kong L, Zhu H, Yu J.The prognosis analysis of different metastasis pattern in patients with different breast cancer subtypes: a SEER based study.Oncotarget. 2017;8(16):26368-26379. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.14300

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