A patient diagnosed with ovarian cancer has been informed that it has spread to her liver and pancreas. What does this refer to?

Explanation

• Metastasis is the dissemination or spread of malignant cells from the primary tumor to distant parts of the body.

• Tumors that grow in or penetrate the body cavities may shed cells or emboli that can travel within the body cavity and penetrate the surfaces of other organs. This can occur in ovarian cancer when malignant cells enter the peritoneal cavity and seed into the peritoneal surfaces of such abdominal organs as the liver or pancreas.
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• Metaplasia is the conversion of one type of mature cell into another type of cell.

• Nadir refers to the lowest point of white blood cell depression after chemotherapy.

• Extravasation means leakage of fluid or cells into a different area, such as WBCs moving from the capillaries into the tissues.

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