Another factor may be how close the metastatic site is to the place where the cancer began.

Sometimes doctors cannot find where in the body the cancer first began to grow.

By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread.

All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life.

The beneficial results were noted at once, and since then the cancer began to dry up.

The cancer stopped growing in 10 of the patients for 12 weeks or more and then began to grow again.

The following tests and procedures may be done to find where the cancer first began:

Where the cancer began in the body and where it has spread.

Beyond treatment selection, there are other benefits to knowing where a cancer began.

Once the cancer begins to spread, getting rid of it completely is more difficult, although treatment can often control the disease for years.