Metastatic cancer is cancer that has spread to another part of the body from the original site. Cancer cells often metastasize to nearby sites, spread through blood vessels, lymph nodes, depending on the type of cancer. The main metastatic sites are liver, bone, brain and lymph nodes.

Some people realize that it is very difficult to cure metastatic cancer, and they see their treatment goals as alleviating pain, improving quality of life, and dealing with side effects from cancer.

The metastatic cancer is named after the primary cancer. When a patient has liver cancer and liver cancer cells spread and grow to the lungs, the part of the cancer that is in the lungs is called liver cancer that has spread to the lungs.