Metastases from Metastasis: Clinical Relevance in Human Cancer

Abstract

Successful management and cure of cancer is to a large degree achieved by control of the primary tumor. Effective treatments are directed towards localized therapies such as surgery and radiation. By definition, these therapies ablate or destroy tumors that are confined to an anatomical distribution amenable to surgical resection or to an achievable field of radiation. These cancer therapies represent the standard of cancer care and have been used effectively for nearly a century. When surgery and radiation were introduced to treat malignant disease, cures were reported in an appreciable number of cases for the first time. The development of techniques successful in cancer cure resulted in major efforts to refine surgical procedures and produce sophisticated radiation therapy equipment. Concurrent with the evolution of improved therapies to treat and cure malignant disease was an improved understanding of the biology of cancer. More specifically, the effects of surgery and radiation on malignant tumors were addressed along with the relationship of treatment modalities to improved patient survival.