Your doctor tells you that you have lung cancer. You have had some discomfort for a while, and you worried that it was serious. Now you know for sure.
Your next question may be just how far it can spread. Will it move from your lungs to other parts of your body? Has it done so already?
The unfortunate reality is that lung cancer can and does spread around the body. In fact, some reports claim that around 40 percent of people who find out for the first time that they have lung cancer already have it in other locations, as well. If you just got that diagnosis, there is a chance that it spread before it was found, and you need to work closely with your medical team to determine just how far it may have progressed.
Technically, medical professionals warn that long cancer may spread almost anywhere. The tumor make break apart and move around your body, introducing cancer to new locations, in a process that is referred to as metastasis.
That said, some areas do see the growth of new cancers more often than others. These high-risk areas include the liver, the brain, the bones, the lymph nodes and the adrenal glands.
This is why it is so important to catch cancer as early as possible. The longer it grows in the lungs unchecked, the greater the chances that it can spread to another area, further complicating your situation.
If you believe outside forces, like an unsafe work environment or a dangerous product, caused your cancer, make sure you understand your legal options.