This chapter covers cancer of unknown primary site (CUP), and includes information on epidemiology, molecular biology, pathology, and multidisciplinary management of clinicopathological subsets. Previously, these tumours were diagnosed and treated based on clinical presentation, light microscopy and clinical intuition. Today, the majority of cancers of unknown primary site are becoming less unknown, more accurately classified, and appropriately treated by the use of multiplex or genome-wide expression profiling platforms. These techniques allow for precise and correct knowledge of the true tumour origin, leading to more rational and effective treatment. However, there also may be genetic signatures that are primary-independent, pro-metastatic, and possibly CUP-specific.
Novel insights into the relationships between dendritic cell subsets in human and mouse revealed by genome-wide expression profiling