Stages of carcinoma of unknown primary

Stages of carcinoma of unknown primary

When cancer is diagnosed, more tests are usually done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. This is called staging. But, when CUP is diagnosed, the number and type of tests done may be different for each patient. The treatment options in this summary are based on whether the cancer has just been found (newly diagnosed) or the cancer has come back after it has been treated (recurrent).

The treatment options are also based on where the cancer is found, where the doctor thinks the cancer started, what the cancer cells look like under a microscope, and other factors. A doctor may find that the cancer fits into one of the following groups:

• Cancer in the cervical lymph nodes: cancer in the small, bean-shaped organs that make and store infection -fighting cells (lymph nodes) in the neck area
• Poorly differentiated carcinomas: the cancer cells look very different from normal cells
• Metastatic melanoma to a single nodal site: cancer of the cells that color the skin (melanocytes) that has spread to lymph nodes in only one part of the body
• Isolated axillary metastasis: cancer that has spread only to lymph nodes in the area of the armpits
• Inguinal node metastasis: cancer that has spread to lymph nodes in the groin area
• Multiple involvement: cancer that has spread to several different areas of the body

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