Cancer can start in any organ or tissue in the body. A primary Cancer or tumour is the first, original tumour that develops in the body. Metastatic Cancer occurs when Cancer spreads from its original location (primary tumour) to a new part of the body. Metastatic tumours always start from Cancer cells in another part of the body. For example, Breast Cancer can spread from its primary site (the breast) to form a new tumour in a different part of the body, such as the bones. The Cancer cells in this second tumour are the same as the cells in the primary tumour – they are Breast Cancer cells, and not Bone Cancer cells. When this happens, it is called Metastatic Breast Cancer, and not Bone Cancer. Click here to view the section on metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic Cancer may also be called:
- a secondary tumour or cancer
- metastasis (singular)
- metastases (plural)
About this Cancer
Every year in Canada, an average of 6,823 lung and bronchus, 2,494 colorectal, 815 female breast and 1,187 prostate cancers are diagnosed after they have metastasized (stage IV) (Canadian Cancer Statistics, 2018).
Patients with metastasis may experience
- Extreme tiredness
- Night sweats
- Unintentional weight loss
Note that some symptoms of metastatic cancer will depend on where the original tumor is located, and the organs or tissues to which the cancer has spread.
From: Cleveland Clinic
The following tests can be used to diagnose metastatic cancer:
- Imaging tests (bone scans, X-rays, ultrasound, MRI, CT and PET scans)
- Biopsy
- Blood tests
From: Cleveland Clinic
Treatment for metastatic breast cancer is guided by where the cancer originated. Treatments can include
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Hormone therapy
- Immunotherapy
From: Cleveland Clinic
Stories from Survivors
- Anna Craig
- A Cancer Journal
- My Big Girl Pants
- Cancer-battle: Adventures of Mark Richardson
- CANCER GIRL SMILES
- The Climb
- Dancing With Cancer: Living with mets, a new normal
- Ithinkiwillgoforawalk
- Kate Has Cancer
- KILLERK
- The Life I Didn’t Expect
- Lisa Bonchek Adams – Writings on metastatic breast cancer
- Sheila’s blog
- STRONG ENOUGH
- Team S
Resources
- Chronic and Advanced Cancer Support – Wellspring
- Living Your Best with Advanced, Metastatic, Chronic or Non-curable Cancer – Resource Sheet | Alberta Health Services
- Canadian Cancer Society – Advanced Cancer Booklet
- Support Groups, Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer
- How to Manage Your Mental Health With Metastatic Breast Cancer
- Jan 30 2020 – Full article: Novel therapeutic targets for cancer metastasis – Taylor & Francis Online
- January 13 2026 – Explainable AI for Predicting Mortality Risk in Metastatic Cancer: Retrospective Cohort Study Using the Memorial Sloan Kettering-Metastatic Dataset – JMIR Publications
- October 15 2025 – Exploring the Experiences of Individuals Diagnosed with Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Qualitative Study – MDPI
- January 2024 – Original Article Behind the scenes of caregiving in patients with advanced cancer: A qualitative study on family caregivers – Science Direct
- September 1 2025 – Full article: Living with brain metastasis – a qualitative study of patients’ and family members’ coping strategies – Taylor & Francis Online
- January 13 2021 – Targeting metastatic cancer – Nature Medicine
Metastatic Cancer Groups
mBC Time: “mBC Time is made up of the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN), Rethink Breast Cancer (Rethink), the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation (QBCF), and a leading research-based biopharmaceutical company in Canada. These groups have partnered to spread the word about the difficult realities that women diagnosed with mBC face. mBC Time is proud to support the unique needs of women and men living with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) and those caring for or who know someone impacted by mBC.”