I downloaded clinical data of BLCA and BRCA cancers from [firebrowse][1] which provides an easy way to access TCGA project's data. Using sample barcodes with sample type code "06"(according to [this link][2]), I could not find any metastatic samples. I also tried to use [GDC Data Portal][3] to find metastatic samples but I failed there too!
Is there any metastatic sample in TCGA project? If yes which cancer types contain more metastatic samples?
Should I use the sample barcode to find metastatic samples?

**Note**: I think this links states the opposite of what I observed!
[TCGA Tissue Sample Requirements: High Quality Requirements Yield High Quality Data][4]
It states that:

> **Sample from primary tumor was necessary**:
A primary tumor is the tumor at the initial site of cancer, not where the cancer may have spread or metastasized, called the secondary tumor. TCGA only studied secondary tumors if they matched to a primary as part of a series (germline, primary and metastasis), or in tumor types for which the primary tumor is rarely diagnosed (such as in melanoma).


  [1]: http://firebrowse.org/
  [2]: https://gdc.cancer.gov/resources-tcga-users/tcga-code-tables/sample-type-codes
  [3]: https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/
  [4]: https://cancergenome.nih.gov/cancersselected/biospeccriteria
I am fairly sure that I have seen samples with code 06 - in fact, almost certain. The number of these samples will differ across cancer and data-type, though. I don't know how samples were selected for profiling - there does not appear to have been any formal agreement among the various centers partaking in the project in this regard.

Note that patients who had a metastatic site are definitively part of TCGA. One can infer this from the clinical data that is held on the <a href="https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/legacy-archive/search/f">GDC Legacy</a>: <a href="https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/legacy-archive/files/870a360c-d0e8-44ba-9359-29d79c84d3c9">BRCA</a>

Sample:

    barcode	        new_tumor_event	new_neoplasm_event_type	new_neoplasm_event_occurrence_anatomic_site
    TCGA-A2-A0T7	NO	            [Not Available]	        [Not Available]
    TCGA-A2-A0YC	YES	            Locoregional Disease	[Not Available]
    TCGA-A2-A0YC	YES	            Distant Metastasis	    Bone
    TCGA-A2-A0YG	NO	            [Not Available]	        [Not Available]
    TCGA-A2-A0YH	NO	            [Not Available]	        [Not Available]
    TCGA-A2-A0YI	NO	            [Not Available]	        [Not Available]
    TCGA-A2-A0YJ	YES	            Distant Metastasis	    Other, specify


To select out these files, search for your cancer of interest (via the checkboxes at left on the GDC Legacy), and select the *Clinical* data and *Biotab* format.