somewhere in between

Look at the first two sentences. One suggests that breast cancer metastasizes, which means spreads throughout the body, right away, immediately. The second sentence suggests that breast cancer is a localized disease, which only spreads slowly to other parts of the body.

So, in writing: "Or is the truth somewhere in between," the author is saying that there could be a grain of truth in both statements. However, this is a poor use of the expression, because "somewhere in between" is usually used with reference to two equal and opposite statements, while these remarks about breast cancer involve differences of degree--how fast the cancer would metastasize, and not a choice between yes and no.

It was not badly written, but it wasn't well written either.

Perhaps this would help. Imagine "good" being at one end of a long line of description of personal behavior, and "bad" being at the other end. So, someone might say:

"Some people said she was bad, and others said she was good. But perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between."

That would mean that the woman was neither entirely good, nor entirely bad, but that the truth lies between all good and all bad, somewhere in the middle. It is a case of imaging physical relationships between ideas, with the extremes being far apart. "The truth lies somewhere in between" is a commonly used expression in the English language.

Hi, Setanta, your explanations are very helpful indeed!!
Thanks a million! ^_^

You're welcome. I was unsure if i was making myself clear, and i am gratified to know that you understood what i was saying.

From my point of view, it's clear indeed.