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Asked by xheneta1 to Lou on 18 Nov 2013.
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Louise Brown answered on 18 Nov 2013:
It depends if the tumour is cancerous and malignant (able to spread to other parts of the body). I’ve never heard of a tumour on the finger spreading to other body parts, but that doesn’t mean it can’t! It is possible I suppose!
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Comments
xheneta1 commented on :
I heard that a cancerous tumor spread to the lymph nodes , if im not mistaken
Lou commented on :
That’s true, the lymph system is a very good way for cancer cells to spread themselves around. They enter it the same way they would enter the blood stream (by breaking down their environment and migrating into it) and can then flow freely around the body. It takes lots of cells to be able to do this though, as most are killed by the force of the lymph or blood stream. The cancer cells must be able to break down and invade their surrounds or they wont be able to spread (this is what makes a cancer malignant, as it is able to metastasise (spread)). A finger tumour is unlikely to be able to do this, but it might! I’ll look up some studies and see if there are any cases!
Lou commented on :
Forgot to mention the obvious one, which is skin cancer. You can get skin cancer anywhere, so yes you could get it on your finger! A maligant melanoma (an aggressive form of skin cancer) could spread from your finger!
xheneta1 commented on :
Thanks a lot ! Very informative answer 🙂