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

A sharp increase in metastatic breast cancer cases in the pandemic’s early years was largely attributed to care delayed by pandemic restrictions, rather than a real increase in incidence.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

Infection can lead to alveolar echinococcosis, a disease marked by slow-growing metastatic cysts.

From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026

A biopsy revealed cancer, and then after a MRI scan she was told she had stage four metastatic breast cancer.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

“These striking results firmly support daraxonrasib as the new standard of care for patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, and usher in a new era of RAS-targeted therapy for patients living with this disease.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

One woman with the BRCA1 mutation might develop an aggressive, metastatic variant of breast cancer at age thirty.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee