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

(Radiation oncologist) :
A primitive lung tumor does not radiologically look the same as a secondary lung tumor (i.e. metastasis). Generally, a primitive lung cancer is spiculated, Vs a more round shape for the metastasis.
The definitive answer is provided, as said earlier, with the biopsy of tumor tissue (which keeps the properties of the original tumor)