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Site-specific survival rates for cancer of unknown primary (CUP) according to location of metastases.

Hemminki, Kari LU ; Riihimäki, Matias LU ; Sundquist, Kristina LU and Hemminki, A (2013) In International Journal of Cancer 133(1). p.182-189
Abstract
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at the metastatic stage and despite extensive diagnostic work-up the primary tumor often remains unidentified. Limited population-based survival data are available for metastatic location and none are available that link the location with the cause of death, which might give clues about the tissue of origin. A total of 9,306 CUP patients with extranodal metastases of adenocarcinoma and undifferentiated histology were identified from the Swedish Cancer Registry. Hazard ratios (HRs), mean survival times and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were provided according to CUP location at diagnosis and cause of death. The median survival was shortest (2 months) for patients with liver and longest (5 months)... (More)
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at the metastatic stage and despite extensive diagnostic work-up the primary tumor often remains unidentified. Limited population-based survival data are available for metastatic location and none are available that link the location with the cause of death, which might give clues about the tissue of origin. A total of 9,306 CUP patients with extranodal metastases of adenocarcinoma and undifferentiated histology were identified from the Swedish Cancer Registry. Hazard ratios (HRs), mean survival times and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were provided according to CUP location at diagnosis and cause of death. The median survival was shortest (2 months) for patients with liver and longest (5 months) for those with nervous system metastases. Lung cancer was the most common cause of death in patients with CUP metastasis in the respiratory system, nervous system, bone and skin, with a median survival of 3 months. Patients with peritoneal/retroperitoneal and pelvical metastasis died of ovarian cancer, with a favorable median survival of 8 months, but also of pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Patients with pancreatic, liver, biliary and colorectal cancers with liver metastasis succumbed quickly. The data show that the location of metastases predicts site-specific cancer deaths which in turn may point to the hidden primary tumor. The results should facilitate the management of CUP in proposing that the diagnostic arsenal should target the lungs when metastases are diagnosed in the respiratory or nervous system, bone or skin; ovarian tumors should be suspected after diagnosis of pelvical metastases. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
International Journal of Cancer
volume
133
issue
1
pages
182 - 189
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • wos:000318112200019
  • pmid:23233409
  • scopus:84876695504
  • pmid:23233409
ISSN
0020-7136
DOI
10.1002/ijc.27988
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4053c1bd-24d0-4684-b9a0-4ee4b35a9709 (old id 3347272)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23233409?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:41:46
date last changed
2022-01-26 01:35:52
@article{4053c1bd-24d0-4684-b9a0-4ee4b35a9709,
  abstract     = {{Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is diagnosed at the metastatic stage and despite extensive diagnostic work-up the primary tumor often remains unidentified. Limited population-based survival data are available for metastatic location and none are available that link the location with the cause of death, which might give clues about the tissue of origin. A total of 9,306 CUP patients with extranodal metastases of adenocarcinoma and undifferentiated histology were identified from the Swedish Cancer Registry. Hazard ratios (HRs), mean survival times and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were provided according to CUP location at diagnosis and cause of death. The median survival was shortest (2 months) for patients with liver and longest (5 months) for those with nervous system metastases. Lung cancer was the most common cause of death in patients with CUP metastasis in the respiratory system, nervous system, bone and skin, with a median survival of 3 months. Patients with peritoneal/retroperitoneal and pelvical metastasis died of ovarian cancer, with a favorable median survival of 8 months, but also of pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Patients with pancreatic, liver, biliary and colorectal cancers with liver metastasis succumbed quickly. The data show that the location of metastases predicts site-specific cancer deaths which in turn may point to the hidden primary tumor. The results should facilitate the management of CUP in proposing that the diagnostic arsenal should target the lungs when metastases are diagnosed in the respiratory or nervous system, bone or skin; ovarian tumors should be suspected after diagnosis of pelvical metastases. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}},
  author       = {{Hemminki, Kari and Riihimäki, Matias and Sundquist, Kristina and Hemminki, A}},
  issn         = {{0020-7136}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{182--189}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Cancer}},
  title        = {{Site-specific survival rates for cancer of unknown primary (CUP) according to location of metastases.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.27988}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/ijc.27988}},
  volume       = {{133}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}