Metastasis is the process by which cancer spreads from its primary site of origin to other places in the body. Tumor cells escape from the primary tumor and travel in the blood stream or lymphatics to reach distal sites such as the skeleton. Skeletal metastases from carcinomas are the most common malignant tumors involving bone, far more common than primary bone tumors. Solid organ cancers most likely to spread to bone include cancers of the breast, lung, thyroid, kidney, and prostate. Blood cell cancers such as lymphoma and multiple myeloma are also commonly detected in the skeleton. Metastatic lesions are...
