Glossary
Primary tumor
(PRY-mayr-ee TOO-mer)
A term used to describe the original, or first, tumor in the body. Cancer cells from a primary tumor may spread to other parts of the body and form new, or secondary, tumors. This is called metastasis. These secondary tumors are the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. Also called primary cancer.
Definition from the National Cancer Institute’s NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms.