metastasis

noun

me·tas·ta·sis | \ mə-ˈta-stə-səs

plural metastases\ mə-ˈta-stə-ˌsēz

Definition of metastasis

1a : change of position, state, or form

b : the spread of a disease-producing agency (such as cancer cells) from the initial or primary site of disease to another part of the body metastasis of breast cancer to bone — Medical Physics also : the process by which such spreading occurs

2 : a secondary malignant (see malignant sense 1) tumor resulting from metastasis

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Other Words from metastasis

metastatic \ ˌme-tə-ˈsta-tik

\ adjective

metastatically \ ˌme-tə-ˈsta-ti-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

Examples of metastasis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Only 5 percent of the funds raised for breast cancer research are put towards researching metastasis. — Kara Wahlgreen, Good Housekeeping, "How Metastatic Breast Cancer Changed My Definition of “Hope”," 24 Sep. 2018 There’s no further evidence of metastases in the brain. — Marie Mccullough, Philly.com, "Can the abortion pill treat advanced lung cancer? This infertility expert wants to find out," 3 July 2018 Researchers often inject tumor cells into the bloodstream of mice to approximate what happens during metastasis when cancer cells must navigate the bloodstream to find a new home in the body. — Viviane Callier, Scientific American, "Aspirin May Prevent Cancer from Spreading, New Research Shows," 1 May 2017 Those metastases, not the original tumor, are responsible for upwards of 90 percent of cancer deaths. — Sharon Begley, STAT, "CRISPR makes cancer cells turncoats that attack their tumor, mouse study finds," 11 July 2018 Are the prostate tumors in men who became fat by eating high-sugar diets equally susceptible to metastasis? — Gina Kolata, New York Times, "High-Fat Diet May Fuel Spread of Prostate Cancer," 16 Jan. 2018 In mice with the brain metastases, about half survived for several weeks after the cell therapy — evidence that engineered rehoming tumor cells might be therapeutic. — Sharon Begley, STAT, "CRISPR makes cancer cells turncoats that attack their tumor, mouse study finds," 11 July 2018 Surgery and chemo helped for two years, when a small brain metastasis was detected. — Marie Mccullough, Philly.com, "Can the abortion pill treat advanced lung cancer? This infertility expert wants to find out," 3 July 2018 Few studies have reported meaningful data on recurrence, metastasis or prostate cancer-specific death rates with robotic prostatectomy. — WSJ, "Is Robotic Prostate Surgery Better Than Traditional Surgery?," 24 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metastasis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

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The first known use of metastasis was in 1663

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More Definitions for metastasis

metastasis

noun

me·tas·ta·sis | \ mə-ˈtas-tə-səs

plural metastases\ -ˌsēz

Medical Definition of metastasis

1a : change of position, state, or form

b : the spread of a disease-producing agent (as cancer cells or bacteria) or disease from the initial or primary site of disease to another part of the body The overwhelming concern about prostate cancer is its potential for metastasis—for cells to escape the gland and take root in lymph nodes, bones, lungs, skin, or other tissue.— Tom Alexander, Fortune, 20 Sept. 1993 also : the process by which such spreading occurs

2 : a secondary malignant tumor resulting from metastasis … radiation has no known effect on distant metastases from breast cancer …— David Plotkin, The Atlantic Monthly, June 1996