Final answer:
Cancer cells can metastasize to different parts of the body through the bloodstream. Mechanisms that favor metastasis include changes in cell adhesion molecules and the production of enzymes. Mechanisms that inhibit metastasis include immune system surveillance and the lack of suitable microenvironments for new tumor formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell division of abnormal cells. The cells accumulate mutations, proliferate uncontrollably, and can migrate to different parts of the body through a process called metastasis. Metastasis is when cancer cells travel from a primary tumor through the bloodstream and form a new cancer at a distant site.
There are mechanisms that favor or inhibit the metastasis of cancer cells. One mechanism that favors metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to escape from the primary tumor and enter the bloodstream. This can be facilitated by changes in cell adhesion molecules and the production of enzymes that break down the extracellular matrix. On the other hand, mechanisms that inhibit metastasis include immune system surveillance, which can detect and eliminate circulating cancer cells, and the lack of suitable microenvironments for cancer cells to establish new tumors.