Unknown Primary Carcinomas: Diagnosis and Management
Unknown primary carcinomas are a significant health problem, constituting 3% to 10% of all tumors
diagnosed in the United States each year [1,2]. While the majority of patients with metastatic
carcinoma of unknown primary origin have short survival times and disease resistant to treatment,
recent findings suggest that certain subsets of patients have tumors that are responsive to
chemotherapy. Others can be successfully treated with regional therapy.