Prostate cancer is a result of cells in the prostate gland that start to grow uncontrollably. Situated below the bladder and in front of the rectum, the prostate gland is found only in males and is responsible for making semen. When the malignant (or cancerous) cells in the prostate reach stage IV, it is medically referred to as metastatic.

Metastatic cancer usually spreads through bones and lymph nodes. Once spread in the lymph nodes, they start spreading in liver and lungs.

If the prostate cancer spreads to the hip bone, it is not bone cancer, It is still prostate cancer. It contains the same prostate cancer cells that the original tumor had.

Nature of the spreading of cancer
Metastatic cancer cells sometimes break away from the original tumor and go to a blood lymph vessel. Once they enter the lymph vessel, they can easily move through any part of the body. These metastatic cells stop in blood capillaries and some tiny blood vessels at a distant location.
The metastatic cells then break through the wall of the blood vessel and get fused to any nearest tissue that they can find. Once attached to the tissue, they multiply and grow new blood vessels in order to bring nutrients to the so formed new tumor.

Prostate cancer cells prefer to grow at specific locations such as lymph nodes, ribs, pelvic bones, and the spines.

The dreadful fact about metastatic prostate cancer is that most of these cells that form into new tumors may not survive in the blood stream, some die while forming into a new tissue and some may lie inactive in the bloodstream over the years without showing any symptoms before they become active.

Diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer
When diagnosing for prostate cancer, doctors will order tests such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, and PET scans. These tests usually focus at the skeletal level, belly, and pelvic areas. These suggest sign of the extent to which the cancer has spread.

The doctors will also ask for blood tests, including to check the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels. Rise in the PSA levels is one of the first signs of the fact that the cancer may be growing.

On an average, it takes at least a decade from the time a patient is first diagnosed with prostate cancer to the discovery that it has become metastatic. Thus, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle and get regular health checkups to avoid such fatal complications in the future.