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

See also: Lung cancer

Lung metastases

Metastatic tumors in the lungs are cancers that developed at other places in the body (or other parts of the lungs) 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
• Kidney cancer
• Neuroblastoma
• Prostate cancer
• Sarcoma
• Wilm's tumor

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

Images

Pulmonary nodule - front view chest X-ray

Sarcoid, stage II - chest X-ray

Lung cancer, frontal chest X-ray

Coal workers pneumoconiosis, complicated #2

Lung cancer, lateral chest X-ray

Pulmonary nodule, solitary - CT scan

Coal workers pneumoconiosis, complicated

Respiratory system

Coal workers pneumoconiosis - stage II

Coal workers pneumoconiosis - stage II #2

Lung with squamous cell cancer - CT scan

Review Date: 06/02/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)