The treatment of metastasis depends on several factors:
- Size, location and number of metastatic tumours
- Type of primary cancer
- History of past treatment
- Age and general health
Metastatic cancer may be treated with a combination of local and systemic therapies:
- Local therapy – targets tumour cells and a nearby area, eg. surgery and radiation therapy
- Systemic therapy – affects the whole body to tackle tumour cells wherever their location, eg. chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy and hormonal therapy
The goal of treatment is to ease the symptoms and control the growth of the cancer. In some, treatment may help prolong lifespan.