Liver metastases

A hepatic metastasis (plural: metastases) is a malignant tumor of the liver which has spread from another organ which has cancer. Metastases are referred to as secondary cancers (the originating organ is referred to as the primary).The liver is a common location for metastatic disease due to the dual blood supply from the hepatic artery and the portal vein (drains the gastrointestinal tract). Metastases to the liver are 20 times more common than a primary cancer originating in the liver. In 50% of all cases of hepatic metastases, the primary tumor is in the gastrointestinal tract.