Pulmonary Metastatic Disease

Pulmonary metastatic disease refers to cancer that spreads to the lungs from elsewhere in the body. Pulmonary metastases are the tumors that have spread through the blood to the lungs.

Prevalence

• According to Medscape.com, pulmonary metastases are associated with 20 percent to 54 percent of all cancer deaths.

Symptoms

• Metastatic pulmonary disease may not produce symptoms. Some cases, however, involve coughing, chest pain or breathing difficulty.

Originating Cancers

• According to Medline Plus, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer and sarcoma are among the types of cancer that commonly cause pulmonary metastatic disease.

Treatment

• Pulmonary metastases may be removed surgically in some cases where the original tumor is also removed. According to Medline Plus, pulmonary metastases are often treated with chemotherapy.

Considerations

• According to research published in the journal Chest, cigarette smoking is associated with increased risk of pulmonary metastatic disease among women with breast cancer.

Other Tumor Locations

• The lungs are commonly associated with metastatic tumors. The brain and the liver are other sites in the body where metastases often are found.