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Where Does Lung Cancer Metastasise To?

Not all lung cancer will metastasise. But if cancer does spread, there are certain parts of your body it is more likely to spread to, including your lymph nodes, brain, bones, liver and adrenal glands.1

Detecting cancer before it spreads is so important because the earlier you diagnose lung cancer, the better the outcome.

  1. Cancer Research UK. About advanced cancer. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/lung-cancer/advanced/about. Accessed April 2020.

Where does lung cancer metastasise to? Firstly, not all lung cancer metastasises. But when it does, that means it spreads from the primary source within the lungs through to other parts of the body. And that’s typically the brain, the bones, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, and the liver. When I was first diagnosed, I had no reason to suspect that I would have lung cancer. I was forty, generally fit and well, and I had absolutely no symptoms in terms of difficulty breathing or a cough or anything like that. I found out I had lung cancer because I had trouble setting the time on a clock. I couldn’t make sense of where to put the hands as I was spinning them around the clock face.

I had an MRI and that revealed that I had two tumours on my brain. Later that day, I had a CT scan that showed that the primary source of those tumours came from my lungs. Early detection in lung cancer is really important. The survival rates are much better when lung cancer is detected early. There is currently no screening program in Australia. Lung Foundation Australia is working hard to influence the Australian Government to establish a screening program so that the outcomes for all people with lung cancer are improved. We need to work together as the lung cancer community, to help influence change for the better for all people living with lung cancer. Lung Cancer Search and Rescue. Hope in every breath.

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Natasha
Natasha, 43 SA
Lung Foundation Australia and the lung cancer community have worked hard to secure an inquiry into the development of a national lung cancer screening program, and we look forward to the Minister for Health releasing the outcomes of this review later this year. In the meantime, you can get involved and help us continue to champion change and hope by connecting with us today.
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