Cancer, or malignant tumors, may arise anywhere in the body. The presentations and symptoms differ according to the site of cancer. However, as the disease progresses, the complications arising from an advanced cancer are very similar regardless of the site of origin. Cancers spread to vital organs through direct extension, close proximity to the primary site or by way of metastasis, triggering a sequence of events leading up to the patient's death.
Metastasis
Metastasis, as defined by Medline Plus, is the spread of cancer cells from the original site of cancer to other distant organs and tissues. This spread usually occurs when the tumor cells gain access to blood or lymph vessels where they circulate and then settle in an organ. After the seedling cancer cells settle, they start to proliferate and form new growths. The World Health Organization lists metastasis as the leading cause of death from cancer. Some of the common sites of metastatic growths are the lung, liver, bones of the pelvis and the spine, and the brain.
Cachexia
One of the most common terminal stages of cancer is cachexia, notes MayoClinic.com. Cachexia is the extreme wasting observed in cancer patients. Wasting is the loss of lean muscle mass and other leans tissues in the body. Cachexia is also observed in other chronic conditions like HIV/AIDS. Although cachexia is commonly associated with loss of appetite, it is not directly caused by a decrease in nutrient intake as even cancer patients who receive supplemental feeding sometimes suffer from cachexia. While sometimes appetite stimulants, such as the drug megesterol, can improve the patient's appetite, they usually do not slow down the development of malignant cachexia.
Organ Failure
Whether cancer originated in a vital organ or reached it though spread, failure of an affected organ is unavoidable. Also, kidney failure in terminal stages of cancer is a very common occurrence as pointed out in a study published in the April 2006 issue of the "Journal of Critical Care." The study notes that renal failure maybe caused by mechanisms related to the cancer itself or by the chemotherapy treatments, toxic to the kidney, received to eradicate the cancer.
