Metastases are called the secondary focus of a malignant tumor. The presence of metastasis in the body suggests that tumor cells penetrated the bloodstream and transferred to other vital organs with blood.
Metastasis is a complication of cancer
Metastasis is a frequent complication of cancer, in the absence of appropriate treatment, it leads to fatal consequences. According to statistics, secondary tumors exceed the number of primary diseases and amount to approximately fifteen cases per hundred thousand people per year. Modern diagnostic tools have increased several times the early diagnosis of metastases, most often in the affected organ there are several. Today, CT and MRI with contrast medium are considered the most accurate diagnostic methods.
Metastases What is it?
All malignant neoplasms are scary because they have the ability to spread to other anatomical structures and organs. Once in the blood, tumor cells begin their journey through the body and thereby give rise to new tumors (metastases). Most often, cancerous tumors give metastases to the liver, bone, lungs, and brain.
The clinical picture of body metastasis
The clinical picture of the body's metastasis largely depends on which organ is affected. When brain metastases are affected, the following symptoms occur: nausea, vomiting, headache, impaired gait and mental processes, increased intracranial pressure. With liver metastases, these symptoms can be supplemented by pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium, and with bone metastases, pain in the spine. Metastasis is a serious problem in the body and the patient should carefully listen to his individual feelings. Any pain and other unpleasant sensations should be the reason for an immediate visit to an oncologist, who knows exactly what metastases are and how they can manifest themselves in each case.
Metastasis treatment
A few years ago, patients with brain metastases were considered doomed, but today the situation has changed for the better. Today there is a whole range of drugs aimed at combating this serious disease of our time. They give an excellent effect at the early stage of detecting tumors. Modern researchers failed to completely defeat cancer, but today there is an opportunity to significantly extend the life of a cancer patient and improve his quality of life.
Methods of treating metastases
Treatment of metastases is surgical and therapeutic. The first type includes liver resection and the destruction of metastases by current. The risk of such operations is high enough, since bleeding and other complications are possible. Therapeutic treatments for metastases include chemotherapy and systemic hormone therapy. However, in addition to the negative impact on metastases, such methods have a negative effect on the whole organism. They are accompanied by poor health, nausea, vomiting, intoxication of the whole body, a change in hormonal status.
How is metastasis treated?
Metastasis is a tumor-like proliferation, and first of all, remember this. Basically, the treatment of metastases is aimed at combating cancer cells directly, at combating a wide variety of complications, and at adequate pain relief. When treating tumors in the bones, a person needs to adjust his diet, namely, to introduce foods rich in calcium and vitamin D. Such measures will avoid osteoporosis - a serious complication of a cancerous tumor. The treatment of brain metastases is accompanied by special drug therapy, which allows the patient to lead a full life.