Metastatic bowel cancer
Sometimes cancer has spread when it is first diagnosed. Or the cancer has come back and spread after treatment for the original cancer.
Cancers that have spread to another part of the body are sometimes called:
secondary cancer
metastases
advanced cancer
Doctors might also describe your bowel cancer as advanced if both:
you’re not able to have surgery to remove the cancer
the cancer has not spread to another part of the body
Bowel cancer can spread to the:
liver
lungs
lymph nodes
tissue lining the tummy (peritoneum)
Locally advanced cancer means that the cancer has spread into the tissues around the bowel or nearby lymph nodes. It hasn’t spread to other organs. This is different to a metastatic cancer.
Finding out you have a metastatic cancer can be a shock. It’s normal to feel uncertain and anxious and to not be able to think about anything else.
Lots of information and support is available to you and your family and friends. It can help to find out more about your cancer and the treatments you might have. Many people find that knowing more about their situation can make it easier to cope.
Talk to your specialist to understand:
what your diagnosis means
what is likely to happen
what treatment is available
how treatment can help you
Many people want to know what the outlook is and how their cancer will develop. This is different for each person. Your cancer specialist has all the information about you and your cancer. They're the best person to discuss this with.
You can also talk to your specialist nurse.
Treatment for metastatic bowel cancer can keep it under control, relieve symptoms and give you a good quality of life.
In a few people with metastatic bowel cancer, treatment can control the cancer for a long time. And for a small number of these people, a cure might be possible.
Last reviewed: 09 Dec 2024
Next review due: 09 Dec 2027
Metastatic bowel cancer is cancer that has spread from the back passage (rectum) and large intestines (colon) to other parts of the body, such as the liver. It is also called advanced cancer. Treatment can include chemotherapy, surgery, targeted cancer drugs and radiotherapy.
The aim of treatment for metastatic bowel cancer is usually to reduce symptoms, make you feel better and sometimes help you live longer.
If you have metastatic bowel cancer there is information and support available to you, your family and friends.
The symptoms of metastatic bowel cancer can include tiredness, loss of appetite and low energy.
Bowel cancer means cancer that starts in the colon (large bowel) or back passage (rectum). It is also known as colorectal cancer.
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