Urinary Tract Cancer Metastasis

What is urinary tract cancer metastasis?

Metastatic urinary tract cancer is cancer that started as a tumor in the urinary tract and has spread to other parts of the body. The kidney, ureter, bladder, and urethra are all part of the urinary tract.

How does it occur?

When urinary tract cancer spreads, the original tumor sheds cancer cells that travel through the bloodstream and lymph system to other parts of the body. New tumors begin to grow in these other areas. How far the cancer spreads from the original tumor site depends on the type of cells, their location, and your response to treatment. Urinary cancer commonly spreads to the lungs, bones, lymph nodes, and liver.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of the original tumor in the urinary tract are often the same as the symptoms of a urinary tract infection. Some possible symptoms are:

• blood in the urine
• the need to urinate often and with urgency.

The symptoms of tumor spread (metastases) depend on where in the body the new tumors are located. Some possible symptoms are:

• pain in the low back or bone pain
• swelling in the legs
• enlarged lymph nodes in the groin.

How is it diagnosed?

A physical exam or X-rays may show tumors growing in other parts of the body (for example, the lungs or liver).

Other procedures and tests used to detect the spread of cancer are:

• ultrasound scan of the kidneys
• intravenous pyelography (IVP), which is a special X-ray that uses an injected dye to show the kidneys, ureters, and bladder
• chest X-ray
• CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis
• blood tests.

How is it treated?

The treatment depends on where the tumor is, how large it is, how much it has spread, and the symptoms. Treatment choices are:

• Chemotherapy: Anticancer drugs are used to try to kill the cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy: Cancerous areas are exposed to high doses of radiation to:
  • shrink the size of a tumor
  • decrease pain if a tumor is pressing on a nerve or spreading to the bones
  • control bleeding from the cancer into the urine.

These treatments may be used alone or in combination.

Surgery is not usually used to treat metastatic urinary tract cancer except to stop severe bleeding.

How long will the effects last?

How long you will live after metastatic urinary tract cancer is discovered depends on how much the cancer has spread, where the new tumors are, and how effective the anticancer drugs are.

How can I take care of myself?

• Follow your healthcare provider's advice.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Stop smoking if you have been a smoker.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Recognize that having the cancer is an added stress in your life. Take more time for your important relationships and for rest.
• Ask your healthcare provider any questions you have about the course of the disease, treatments, side effects of the treatments, support groups, and anything else that concerns you.
• Ask your provider about alternative methods for pain control, such as relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and hypnosis.
• For more information, contact:

  American Cancer Society, Inc.
  Phone: 800-ACS-2345 (800-227-2345)
  Web site: http://www.cancer.org

  National Cancer Institute
  Phone: 800-4-CANCER (800-422-6237)
  Web site: http://www.cancer.gov

How can I help prevent urinary tract cancer metastasis?

The spread of cancer may be prevented by early detection and treatment of tumors before the cancer spreads to other parts of the body. Make sure you have regular checkups. Checkups are especially important if you are at high risk for urinary tract cancer. The most important risk factor is smoking.

Tell your healthcare provider right away about symptoms such as blood in the urine, or pain when you urinate.