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Treatment Option Overview
How carcinoma of unknown primary is treated
Treatment in a clinical trial
How carcinoma of unknown primary is treated
Different types of treatment are available for patients with carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP). Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Some of the standard treatments that are used are:
Surgery is a common treatment for CUP. A doctor may remove the cancer and some
of the healthy tissue around it. Different operations are used depending on
where the cancer is found. If the cancer has spread to lymph nodes, the lymph
nodes may be removed (lymph node dissection). If the nodes involved are in the groin, this operation is called a superficial groin dissection. If the cancer
has spread to lymph nodes and also to some surrounding areas, the doctor may
have to remove a larger portion of tissue around the nodes. When muscles, nerves, and other tissue in the neck are removed, this is called a radical neck
dissection.
Radiation therapy uses x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells
and shrink tumors. Radiation may be used alone or before or after surgery.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by
mouth or it may be put into the body by a needle in a vein or muscle.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drugs enter the
bloodstream, travel through the body, and can kill cancer cells throughout the
body. Chemotherapy may be used alone or after surgery. Therapy given after an
operation when there are no cancer cells that can be seen is called adjuvant
therapy.
Hormone therapy is used to stop the hormones in the body that help cancer cells
grow. This may be done by using drugs that change the way hormones work or by
surgery that takes out organs that make hormones, such as the testicles (orchiectomy).
Treatment in a clinical trial
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. In the following lists of treatments for the different stages, a link to search results for current clinical trials is included for each section. These have been retrieved from NCI's clinical trials database. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
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