Lets say someone goes to the doctor: The doctor sees tumors in the lungs and in the liver. Why does the doctor know that its liver cancer that spread to the lungs and not lung cancer that spread to the liver?

Question

Lets say someone goes to the doctor: The doctor sees tumors in the lungs and in the liver. Why does the doctor know that its liver cancer that spread to the lungs and not lung cancer that spread to the liver?

In: 1592

Answer 1

tumor cells that have undergone methastasis will retain some features of the original cell they diverged from.

thru a biopsy of the tumor that is then studied by a specialist they can determine, using your example, that the lung cells you took from the tumor display features associated with liver cells; result: the cancer originated in the liver and migrated there.