What Is Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (MCRC)?
Colorectal cancer is a disease that develops when abnormal cells in the colon or rectum divide without control, forming a growth or a primary tumor. As the primary tumor grows, it can spread to nearby tissue outside the colon or rectum. Eventually, cancer cells can break away and travel through the bloodstream or the lymph system to form new tumors in other parts of the body, such as the liver or lungs. This spreading process is called metastasis, and your health care team may refer to this spreading of cancer as stage IV colorectal cancer, advanced colorectal cancer, or MCRC. Even though the cancer has spread to a new part of the body, the new tumors are made up of cells from the original tumor in the colon or rectum, so it is still considered colorectal cancer. Colon and rectal cancers are alike in many ways, which is why they are often discussed together as colorectal cancer. However, sometimes these cancers are referred to separately as colon cancer or rectal cancer.
