Definition: To travel or spread, from one part of the body to another. In breast cancer, the disease may travel by shedding one or more malignant cells from the original tumor through the blood stream or the lymph system to the lungs, bones, brain, liver, or skin.
When breast cancer is diagnosed at Stage 4, it is called metastatic disease.
When breast cancer is diagnosed at Stage 4, it is called metastatic disease.
Pronunciation: mu-TAS-ta-siz
Common Misspellings: matastasize, metastusize
Examples: Stage 4 breast cancer has metastasized from the original tumor site, and is diagnosed by having any size of tumor, positive lymph nodes, and obvious spread to other parts of the body.
