Is a lymph node infection actually a metastasis?
Instead of the term lymph node involvement, the term lymph node metastasis can also be used synonymously. The term metastasis (Greek: migration) refers to a metastasis of a malignant tumor into a distant tissue or organ. A distinction is made between lymph node metastases and organ metastases.
Lymph node metastases are caused by the spread of cancer cells in the lymph vessels, whereas organ metastases are caused by the spread of cancer cells through the bloodstream. In the case of breast cancer, metastasis usually occurs first in the lymph nodes and only later in organs such as the liver, bones, lungs or brain. An affected lymph node is therefore also a metastasis, but has a much better chance of healing than if organ metastases are already present.
