by Whitney Bell
(verb. /meh-TAST-uh-size)
What does it mean?
Metastasize means to leave the primary tumor location and spread to other parts of the body.
How do I use it in a sentence?
The doctors were able to detect and treat the cancer before it had a chance to metastasize to other parts of the body.
Cancer can metastasize from its primary location to other parts of the body. This is shown above, where pancreatic cancer has metastasized from its primary location (pancreas) to the liver and lungs. When the cancer spreads to other locations, it becomes very difficult to treat.
Etymology: from Latin and Greek, meaning a removal or migration
Related terms:
Fields of study in which this word is commonly used:
cancer biology
pathology
medicine
