What is hematogenous spread?

distributed or spread by way of the bloodstream, as in metastases of tumors or in infections; blood-borne.

What is lymphatic spread?

Lymphatic metastasis is an important mechanism in the spread of human cancer. During its course, tumor cells first penetrate the basement of membrane of the epithelium, in which they arise, and then the underlying connective tissue, carried partly by hydrostatic pressure.

What are the two most common sites of hematogenous metastases?

The liver is the most common site of metastases from colon cancer, followed by the lung, whereas local recurrence in the pelvis is the most common site in rectal cancer patients who do not receive pelvic radiotherapy, followed by metastasis to the liver and the lung (1–6).

What are the routes of metastasis?

Metastasis occurs by the following four routes:

• Transcoelomic.
• Lymphatic spread.
• Hematogenous spread.
• Canalicular spread.

What is the most common route of metastasis?

Pathophysiology. Metastatic tumors are very common in the late stages of cancer. The spread of metastasis may occur via the blood or the lymphatics or through both routes. The most common sites of metastases are the lungs, liver, brain, and the bones.

How are lymphatic metastases spread to the lungs?

Lymphatic metastases are most often indirect with first hematogenous spread to pulmonary arteries and arterioles with subsequent invasion of the adjacent interstitial space and lymphatics. Less commonly, lymphatic spread of tumor is retrograde from mediastinal and hilar lymph node metastases.

How does hematogenous cancer spread to the lungs?

Hematogenous Spread. Most pulmonary metastases spread to the lungs through the arterial system, lodging within small pulmonary arterioles or arteries. In most cases the newly formed tumor extends into the surrounding lung parenchyma, forming a relatively well-defined nodule.

How are cancer cells able to spread through the body?

Some cancer cells known as circulating tumor cells acquire the ability to penetrate the walls of lymphatic or blood vessels, after which they are able to circulate through the bloodstream to other sites and tissues in the body. This process is known (respectively) as lymphatic or hematogenous spread.

How is the lymphatic system similar to the circulatory system?

Specifically the lymphatic system controls the flow of lymph, a colorless fluid containing oxygen, proteins, sugar (glucose) and lymphocytes (cyte=cell). There are some similarities and differences between the (more well known) circulatory system and the lymphatic system.