What metastases can breast cancer cause, and which organs are most commonly affected?

2026-09-15

Breast cancer metastasis can manifest as locoregional lymph node spread, as well as hematogenous or lymphogenous dissemination affecting distant organs. The most commonly affected distant target organs are the bones, lungs, liver, and central nervous system (brain). The pattern of metastasis depends significantly on the molecular subtype and histology of the tumor: hormone receptor-positive (ER+) tumors metastasize to the bone with notable frequency, whereas HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers are more prone to visceral metastases (liver, lungs) as well as the formation of brain metastases. In addition to these classic targets, breast cancer—particularly the invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) subtype—can also metastasize to rarer sites, such as the peritoneum, ovaries, uterus/cervix, gastrointestinal tract, eyelid/orbit, or thyroid.

The most common regional metastatic targets are the axillary and supraclavicular lymph node chains. During systemic dissemination, the tumor most frequently affects the skeleton (bone involvement occurs in approximately 70% of metastatic cases, most commonly in the spine, ribs, and pelvis), followed by lung, liver, and brain metastases.

Histological and molecular subtypes display distinct tropisms: while ductal carcinomas tend to spread to the bones and lungs, invasive lobular carcinomas, due to their infiltrative nature resulting from the loss of E-cadherin, can also disseminate to the peritoneum, retroperitoneum, ovaries, uterus, or the gastrointestinal tract.

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