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Survival in cancer of unknown primary site: population-based analysis by site and histology

Hemminki, Kari LU ; Bevier, M. ; Hemminki, A. and Sundquist, Jan LU (2012) In Annals of Oncology 23(7). p.1854-1863
Abstract
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at a metastatic stage, conferring an unfavorable prognosis. The natural history of the disease is poorly understood, which complicates diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Population-based survival data are lacking regarding location and histology of metastases. From the Swedish Cancer Registry, 18 911 CUP patients were identified between years 1987 and 2008. Survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression. Adenocarcinoma accounted for 70% of all extranodal cases with a 12-month survival of 17% and the median survival of 3 months. Adenocarcinoma was also the most common histology (33.4%) when metastases were limited to lymph nodes, with a 12-month survival of 41% and... (More)
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at a metastatic stage, conferring an unfavorable prognosis. The natural history of the disease is poorly understood, which complicates diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Population-based survival data are lacking regarding location and histology of metastases. From the Swedish Cancer Registry, 18 911 CUP patients were identified between years 1987 and 2008. Survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression. Adenocarcinoma accounted for 70% of all extranodal cases with a 12-month survival of 17% and the median survival of 3 months. Adenocarcinoma was also the most common histology (33.4%) when metastases were limited to lymph nodes, with a 12-month survival of 41% and median survival of 8 months. For extranodal metastases, the extremes in survival were small intestinal cancer with poor prognosis and mediastinal cancer with favorable prognosis. For nodal metastases, patients affected in the head and neck, axillary and inguinal regions had the best prognosis and those with abdominal and intrapelvic metastases the worst prognosis. The present data underline the importance of histology and location of metastasis in assisting clinical decision making: hazard ratios differed by a factor of five among extranodal and nodal metastases. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
histology, metastasis, prognosis, survival
in
Annals of Oncology
volume
23
issue
7
pages
1854 - 1863
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000306135200031
  • scopus:84864323806
  • pmid:22115926
ISSN
1569-8041
DOI
10.1093/annonc/mdr536
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0f361bd4-3026-4308-9e0f-cf61953f2cbb (old id 2998063)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:17:11
date last changed
2022-02-04 03:25:56
@article{0f361bd4-3026-4308-9e0f-cf61953f2cbb,
  abstract     = {{Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at a metastatic stage, conferring an unfavorable prognosis. The natural history of the disease is poorly understood, which complicates diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Population-based survival data are lacking regarding location and histology of metastases. From the Swedish Cancer Registry, 18 911 CUP patients were identified between years 1987 and 2008. Survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression. Adenocarcinoma accounted for 70% of all extranodal cases with a 12-month survival of 17% and the median survival of 3 months. Adenocarcinoma was also the most common histology (33.4%) when metastases were limited to lymph nodes, with a 12-month survival of 41% and median survival of 8 months. For extranodal metastases, the extremes in survival were small intestinal cancer with poor prognosis and mediastinal cancer with favorable prognosis. For nodal metastases, patients affected in the head and neck, axillary and inguinal regions had the best prognosis and those with abdominal and intrapelvic metastases the worst prognosis. The present data underline the importance of histology and location of metastasis in assisting clinical decision making: hazard ratios differed by a factor of five among extranodal and nodal metastases.}},
  author       = {{Hemminki, Kari and Bevier, M. and Hemminki, A. and Sundquist, Jan}},
  issn         = {{1569-8041}},
  keywords     = {{histology; metastasis; prognosis; survival}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{1854--1863}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Annals of Oncology}},
  title        = {{Survival in cancer of unknown primary site: population-based analysis by site and histology}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdr536}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/annonc/mdr536}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}