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Our 24/7 cancer helpline provides information and answers for people dealing with cancer. We can connect you with trained cancer information specialists who will answer questions about a cancer diagnosis and provide guidance and a compassionate ear.
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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
Some cancers of unknown primary can be treated effectively or even cured, but most are advanced cancers for which treatments are unlikely to provide long-term benefits. It’s very important that people with advanced cancer of unknown primary (CUP) are aware that even if the cancer can’t be cured, there are treatments available to help prevent or relieve pain and other symptoms. Many patients with CUP may benefit from palliative care as part of their treatment plan. Palliative care includes supportive care managed by your care team, such as relief from symptoms, pain, and stress. It’s meant to improve quality of life for patients and their families. Treatment to control the cancer may also be included in a supportive care plan. More information can be found in Advanced Cancer.
Pain is a significant concern for patients with cancer of unknown primary. There are proven ways to relieve pain due to cancer of unknown primary using a combination of medicines and, in some cases, surgical procedures. Patients should not hesitate to take advantage of these treatments, which means they must tell their doctors if they have pain. Otherwise the doctor can’t help. For most patients, treatment with morphine or drugs related to it (called opioids because they are related to opium) can reduce pain considerably while still allowing them to function well. For the treatment to be effective, the pain medicines must be given regularly on a schedule, not just when the pain becomes severe. Several long-acting opioid drugs have been developed that need only to be given once or twice a day.
For more information on pain, what can be done about it, and how to keep track of it, see Cancer-related Pain .
To learn more about how palliative care can be used to help control or reduce symptoms caused by cancer, see Palliative Care.
To learn about some of the side effects of cancer or treatment and how to manage them, see Managing Cancer-related Side Effects.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Bochtler T, L?ffler H, Kr?mer A. Diagnosis and management of metastatic neoplasms with unknown primary. Semin Diagn Pathol. 2018 May;35(3):199-206. doi: 10.1053/j.semdp.2017.11.013. Epub 2017 Nov 26. PMID: 29203116.
Greco FA, Hainsworth JD. Carcinoma of Unknown Primary In: DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2015: 1719-1736.
National Cancer Institute. Physician Data Query (PDQ). Cancer of Unknown Primary Treatment. 05/6/2024. Accessed at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/unknown-primary/hp/unknown-primary-treatment-pdq on May 20, 2024.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Occult Primary. v.2.2024. Accessed at https://www.nccn.org on May 20, 2024.
Tomuleasa C, Zaharie F, Muresan MS, et al. How to diagnose and treat a cancer of unknown primary site. J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2017 Mar;26(1):69-79. doi: 10.15403/jgld.2014.1121.261.haz.
Varadhachary GR, Lenzi R, Raber MN, Abbruzzese JL. Carcinoma of Unknown Primary In: Neiderhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. 础产别濒辞蹿蹿’蝉 Clinical Oncology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA. Elsevier: 2014:1792-1803.
Last Revised: May 27, 2024
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