General Information
The site of origin of a histologically documented carcinoma is not identified
clinically in approximately 3% of patients; this situation is often referred to
as carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) origin or occult primary malignancy.[1-5]
The definition of a CUP varies from study to study; however, at a minimum, this
determination should include a biopsy of the tumor and a thorough history and
complete physical examination that includes head and neck, rectal, pelvic, and
breast examinations; chest x-rays; a complete blood cell count; urinalysis; and
an examination of the stool for occult blood. The value of other radiographic
tests will be discussed in the stage information section. When these results
do not reveal signs of a potential primary lesion and the biopsy is not
consistent with a primary tumor at the biopsy site, a CUP must be assumed. The
majority of CUP are adenocarcinomas or undifferentiated tumors; less commonly,
squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, sarcoma, and neuroendocrine tumors can also
present with a primary site of origin that cannot be determined. In approximately 15% to 25% of patients the primary site cannot be identified even at postmortem examination.[6]
The prognosis for patients with CUP is poor. As a group, the median survival
is approximately 3 to 4 months with less than 25% and 10% of
patients alive at 1 and 5 years, respectively. CUP is represented by a
heterogeneous group of diseases all of which have presented with metastasis as
the primary manifestation. Although the majority of diseases are relatively
refractory to systemic treatments, there are certain clinical presentations of
CUP that carry a much better prognosis. In each instance, there are distinct
clinical and pathologic details that require consideration for appropriate,
potentially curative, management.[6-9]
A retrospective review of 657 consecutive patients with CUP (270 additional
patients were excluded as a result of identification of a primary malignancy, a
noncarcinoma cell type, or no malignancy) reported several variables of
significant prognostic importance identified by multivariate analysis. Lymph
node involvement and neuroendocrine histology were associated with longer
survival; male sex, increasing number of involved organ sites, adenocarcinoma
histology, and hepatic involvement were unfavorable prognostic factors.[10]
Adrenal involvement has also been noted to be a poor prognostic finding.[11]
Conceptually, CUP represents a tumor that has a greater propensity for “early” dissemination than the more common presentation in which
the primary tumor is apparent with or without metastases.
The distribution of primary sites that are likely to result in CUP contrasts
with the distribution of major primary adenocarcinomas as reported in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data. Most large studies have shown that
carcinoma of the lung and pancreas are the most common primary carcinomas that
initially present as CUP. Other common malignancies such as colorectal,
breast, and prostate cancers infrequently present as CUP.[6-9]
The pattern of spread of CUP at diagnosis can provide clues to the likelihood
of the primary site being above or below the diaphragm. Lung metastases are
twice as common in primary sites ultimately found to be above the diaphragm.
Liver metastases are more common from primary disease below the diaphragm. The
pattern of metastasis from a carcinoma presenting as CUP may be significantly
different from that which would be expected from the usual presentation. For
instance, bone metastases are approximately 3 times more common in pancreatic
cancer presenting as CUP, while osseous metastasis from lung cancer is about 10
times less common when it presents as CUP compared with the usual presentation.
The biologic bases for these differences in presentation, incidence, and
pattern of metastases are unknown.[6]
Although only a minority of patients will have curable disease or a disease for
which there is substantial palliative benefit, the appropriate use of special
diagnostic pathology and selected radiologic studies will identify patients for whom directed therapy will provide the best possible chance for response.
References
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