{"id":38066,"date":"2014-01-23T00:16:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-23T00:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=1754a4c417d96d172f33b8557401fb0f"},"modified":"2014-01-23T00:16:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-23T00:16:00","slug":"press-release-rarer-cancers-with-unknown-primary-tumours-diagnosed-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=38066","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Rarer cancers with unknown primary tumours diagnosed too late"},"content":{"rendered":"
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More than half (57%) of newly diagnosed cases of Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP<\/abbr>) – around 25,000 in England between 2006 and 2010 – presented as an emergency compared to 23% for all cancers, shows new research by Public Health England\u2019s National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n

The 1-year survival rates for all CUP<\/abbr> patients included in the Routes to Diagnosis study is 16%, which is low compared to most other cancer types. CUP<\/abbr> tumours presenting as an emergency – including from A&E<\/abbr> or emergency referral from a GP<\/abbr> – have the lowest survival of all the routes to diagnosis, whereas CUPs<\/abbr> presented through managed routes, for example the Two Week Wait, have significantly better survival. The age of patients presenting with CUP<\/abbr> also impacts survival; nearly 40% of the 44,100 cases of CUP<\/abbr> diagnosed in England during the same period were aged 80 years and over.<\/p>\n

People are recorded as having Cancer of Unknown Primary if the primary site of the cancer growth cannot be established or if the tumour has been registered without specification of site. Usually patients present with metastatic disease (cancer that has spread) and all subsequent investigations have failed to determine the origin of the tumour. <\/p>\n

Dr. Mick Peake, Clinical Lead at Public Health England\u2019s NCIN<\/abbr>, said: <\/p>\n

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These further developments of our Routes to Diagnosis study include data on all patients diagnosed over a 5-year period, covering 1.3 million tumours. It gives us a clearer understanding of CUP<\/abbr> diagnoses which had not previously been examined.
\nThere are many reasons why it is difficult to prove the source of the primary cancer, sometimes it is just too difficult to get a piece of tissue for analysis, but there are some cancers where despite every test, it is not possible to be sure where the cancer started. <\/p>\n

This information gives us a first look at the routes to diagnosis for CUP<\/abbr> patients and enables us to understand more about this rarer type of cancer so we can begin to find ways to improve diagnosis, earlier treatment and survival rates.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sean Duffy, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England said:<\/p>\n

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Almost 10% of all cancer cases which presented as emergencies are \u2018cancer of an unknown primary\u2019. Currently referral systems for generic investigation of this rarer form of cancer are poorly developed, which is why we\u2019ve broadened the range of symptoms and enabled more patients to be referred with non-specific symptoms to help increase earlier diagnosis. CUP<\/abbr> multi-disciplinary teams are also being created to ensure patients diagnosed with CUP<\/abbr> receive the most appropriate treatment, which will improve survival outcomes. However, there is still a lot more which needs to be done to examine the large proportion of CUP<\/abbr> patients presented as emergencies, and the clinical basis of the diagnosis of CUP<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

John Symons, Director of the Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP<\/abbr>) Foundation, said: <\/p>\n

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This research encourages patients and their loved ones to know that CUP<\/abbr> is being addressed and it helps clinicians to recognise and understand the disease. We hope that the improvements in the management and treatment of CUP<\/abbr> patients, starting to become apparent following the introduction of the NICE Guideline on CUP<\/abbr> in 2010, will be stimulated further by this authoritative study.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ends<\/h2>\n

Notes to editors<\/h2>\n