WHAT IS CUP?

CUP stands for “Cancer of Unknown Primary”. It may also be called

  • occult primary
  • metastases of unknown origin (MUO)
  • metastatic malignancy of unknown origin
  • metastatic cancer of unknown primary

CUP is a type of cancer for which the original (primary) tumour cannot be found.1 The doctors only find metastases (secondary tumours).

CUP syndrome (cancer of unknown primary) patient with liver metastasis and lung metastasis, but undetectable primary tumour.

WHY IS THE PRIMARY CANCER NOT FOUND?

There are several possible reasons why the doctors may not find the primary tumour in patients with CUP syndrome – even after extensive standard examinations have been performed. It may be that:2

  • The primary cancers are very small, grow slowly, and cannot be seen by diagnostic imaging or by the pathological or laboratory workup
  • The immune system of the body destroyed the original cancer, or it disappeared for unknown reasons
  • The primary cancer was removed, e.g. by surgery for another condition

ARE THERE OTHERS WITH CUP?

About 3–5 percent of all cancer diagnoses are CUPs. It is currently the 10th most common cancer diagnosis in the Western world, of more than 200 types of cancer.1

 

Find more information about others with CUP

 

CUP syndrome occurs in about 3–5 percent of all cancer diagnoses.

A HELPFUL THOUGHT

Cancer may evolve spontaneously, or it may be inherited – it is not your fault that it emerged. In contrast to other cancer types, there is currently little scientific knowledge about how CUP exactly evolves.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR!

You may have a large number of questions in the course of your CUP journey. Do not hesitate to discuss your questions and concerns with your medical experts.

“I said to the doctors that this does not make any sense. How can you not know where the cancer is coming from?” – Jane, CUP patient

    Literature

  1. Losa F et al. Clinical Translational Oncology 2018; 20: 89–96.
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. National Cancer Institute. Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/unknown-primary/patient/unknown-primary-treatment-pdq (last accessed 13th March, 2020).
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FIND INFORMATION ABOUT CUP DIAGNOSIS

What diagnostic options are there for CUP?

READ MORE