metastatic

American  

[met-uh-stat-ik] / ˌmɛt əˈstæt ɪk /

adjective

1. Pathology. of, relating to, or resulting from metastasis, the transference of disease-producing organisms or malignant or cancerous cells to other parts of the body by way of the blood or lymphatic vessels or membranous surfaces.

   These blood vessels supply the tumor with nutrients and facilitate its metastatic spread.

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Other Word Forms

• metastatically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of metastatic

First recorded in 1760–70; metasta(sis) ( def. ) + -tic ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metastatic

Earlier this year, the 36-year-old was diagnosed with metastatic cancer, which spread to her spine and liver.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Many patients with metastatic melanoma don’t respond to, or develop resistance to, other front-line immunotherapies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

While FDA staffers downplayed this benefit, one oncologist at the advisory committee hearing pointedly noted that most physicians consider a 30% response rate in metastatic patients whose cancer worsened on other treatments to be significant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

He has now been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

She had died in 1958, at the age of thirty-seven, from diffusely metastatic ovarian cancer—an illness ultimately linked to mutations in genes.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee