How does one die from cancer?

Cancer kills by growing into key organs, nerves, or blood vessels and interfering with and impairing their function. It can begin in almost any human cell. Usually, new cells form through growth and division. Cells die once they become too old or damaged, and newly formed cells replace them.

Do all cancers spread throughout the body?

Cancer can spread to almost anywhere in the body. But it commonly moves into your bones, liver, or lungs. When these new tumors form, they are made of the same kind of cancer cells as the original tumor. For example, lung cancer cells that are found in the brain don’t look like brain cells.

What happens when cancer spreads?

When cancer spreads, it’s called metastasis. In metastasis, cancer cells break away from where they first formed, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form new tumors in other parts of the body.

What happens when someone with cancer has cancer again?

Most of the time, when someone who has had cancer has cancer again, it means the first primary cancer has returned. During metastasis, cancer cells spread from the place in the body where they first formed to other parts of the body. Cancer cells spread through the body in a series of steps. These steps include:

Do cancer cells die at some point in the process?

Most of the time, spreading cancer cells die at some point in this process. But, as long as conditions are favorable for the cancer cells at every step, some of them are able to form new tumors in other parts of the body. Metastatic cancer cells can also remain inactive at a distant site for many years before they begin to grow again, if at all.

Can cancer be found in multiple parts of the body?

Cancer can sometimes be found in several parts of the body. Most of the time, these are not separate types of cancer. Rather, cancer has developed in one organ and spread to other areas. When cancer spreads, it’s called metastasis.