Cancer Treatment Today

Management of cancers of unknown origin is complex. When the primary site is not identified and when it does not fall neatly into certain specific clinical patterns, empiric broad-spectrum chemotherapy is recommended by NCCN and is generally acceptable. The issue remains second line chemotherapy for adenocarcinooma of occult primary. Combination sequential chemotherapy with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and oral etoposide followed by gemcitabine and irinotecan

Lay Summary: Metastatic cancers of unknown primary source can be treated with broad-spectrum chemotherapy. Management of cancers of unknown origin is complex. When the primary site is not identified and when it does not fall neatly into certain specific clinical patterns, empiric broad-spectrum chemotherapy is recommended by NCCN and is generally acceptable. During the 1990s, several new antineoplastic agents with novel mechanisms of action have

Lay Summary: PET and PET/CT are useful to the find primary site of metastases when it is not known. FDG-PET is useful to detect the primary tumor in patients with unknown primary tumors, according to a recent meta-analysis, which suggests that PET's intermediate specificity, high sensitivity, and concomitant low false-negative rate offer substantial benefits in the initial stages of oncologic patient management. Survival is low for patients with

Management of cancers of unknown origin is complex. When the primary site is not identified and when it does not fall neatly into certain specific clinical patterns, empiric broad-spectrum chemotherapy is recommended by NCCN and is generally acceptable. Among the agents that NCCN recommends is gemcitabine and cisplatin. The NCCN also recommends Paclitaxel or docetaxel with carboplatin. There are many trials with carboplatin instead of cisplatin and

When the primary site is not identified and when it does not fall neatly into certain specific clinical patterns, empiric broad-spectrum chemotherapy is recommended by NCCN and is generally acceptable. The issue remains second line chemotherapy. Erbitux is approved for squamous cell cacner of head and neck and is an attractive candidate for unknown primary. Unfortunately, these patients have a dismal prognosis despite management with a variety of