Metastasis is generally divided into two categories:

• Regional spread. Also known as lymph node involvement, it occurs in lymph nodes close to the area where the primary cancer originally developed. Regional spread can also include non-lymphatic metastasis, such as the skin with breast cancer.
  
  
• Distant spread. Also known as metastatic disease, it occurs when cancer cells travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other organs. 

Once the cancer has spread to a new area of the body, it is still named for the area of the body where it originated.  breast cancer that spreads to the lungs is classified as breast cancer, not lung cancer.

In some cases, metastasis emerges after a cancer has been treated and the patient appears to be in remission. When the cancer reappears in the same organ or in another organ or tissue, it is known as recurrence. There are three types of recurrence:

• Local recurrence. Cancer that returns to the original organ, or a nearby organ or tissue.
  
  
• Regional recurrence. Cancer that returns to lymph nodes near the originally affected area, or to the area surrounding the lymph nodes.
  
  
• Distant recurrence. Cancer that returns to any other part of the body not included in a local or regional recurrence.