Metastatic cancer to the lung Health Article

Definition

Metastatic cancer to the lung is cancer that starts somewhere else in the body and spreads to the lungs.

See also: Lung cancer

Alternative Names

Lung metastases

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Metastatic tumors in the lungs are cancers that developed at other sites and spread through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to the lungs. Common tumors that spread to the lungs include:

• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Neuroblastoma
• Prostate cancer
• Sarcoma
• Wilm's tumor

However, almost any cancer has the ability to spread to the lungs.

Symptoms

• Bloody sputum
• Cough
• Rib cage pain
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness
• Weight loss

Note: In most cases, there are no lung-related symptoms when the tumors are found.

Signs and tests

• Bronchoscopy
• Chest CT scan
• Chest x-ray
• Cytologic studies of pleural fluid or sputum
• Lung needle biopsy
• Surgical lung biopsy

Treatment

In most cases, metastatic cancer to the lung is a sign that the cancer has spread into the bloodstream. Usually cancer will be present even in places not seen by CT scans. In these circumstances, removing the visible tumors with surgery is usually not beneficial. Chemotherapy is usually the treatment of choice.

Sometimes when the primary tumor has been removed and the cancer has spread to only limited areas of the lung, the lung tumors can be removed with surgery. However, the main tumor must be curable, the lung tumors must be able to be completely cut out, and the patient must be strong enough to go through the surgery and recovery.

Other, less common treatments include:

• Radiation therapy
• The placement of stents inside the airways
• Laser therapy

There are other experimental treatments. One of these treatments uses local heat probes to destroy the area. Another drips chemotherapy directly into the artery that supplies blood to the part of the lung containing the tumor.