The recent ASCO Virtual included a session on CUP under the heading ‘Redefining Cancer of Unknown Primary: Is Genomics the Answer?’ The Discussants were Tony Greco (USA) and Karim Fizazi (Fr) and papers were from Australia, USA, Japan, and China. Further details and the abstracts (which can been seen without logging into an ASCO account) are shown here.
On the latest update to the Greco and Hainsworth Wolters Kluwer ACUP publication it is interesting that they have changed the treatment flow chart now differentiating between ‘treatment sensitive cancer type’ and the ‘treatment-resistant cancer type’.
From March 2012 to February 2018, 243 CUP patients from 4 EU countries took part in a Phase III trial (GEFCAPI 04) led by Dr Fizazi in France. The aim was to see if tailored treatment following molecular profiling would improve outcomes; but the results, reported in the Autumn of 2019, showed no significant improvement in outcomes overall. There was
Read more
The official website for World Cancer Day states that the aim is to ‘recognise that our commitment to act will lead to powerful progress in reducing the global impact of cancer….We need your commitment to create a cancer-free world. CUP Foundation – Jo’s friends is totally supportive of taking a global view – embracing research expertise around the world to
Read more
Disappointingly, the findings of the long-running GEFPCAPI trial led by Dr Fizazi of the Institut Gustave Roussy have proved negative. The trial has concluded that: “In GEFCAPI 04, using a molecular test followed by tailored systemic treatment did not improve outcomes of patients with carcinomas of the unknown primary site.” The trial ran from March 2012 to February 2018 in
Read more
The UK mortality data for 2017 are now available on the excellent statistics area of CRUK website. UK CUP mortality has dropped to the 6th commonest cause of cancer death having been at 5th place for many years. The order now runs: Lung, Bowel, Prostate, Breast, Pancreas, CUP. The actual numbers for 2017 are 9,156 (9,410 in 2016) which is
Read more
A paper by A. Creak – Prospective Cohort of Referrals to a Cancer of Unknown Primary Clinic, including Direct Access from Primary Care – in Clinical Oncology: a Journal of the Royal College of Radiologists (2019 October 18) reporting on the Brighton CUP team is interesting. To quote from the summary: The Brighton cancer of unknown primary (CUP) clinic covers
Read more
Those who have followed the saga will recall our attempts over the years to get published the report of the 2016 external peer review of CUP services in England. It is still not available on an NHS website but we have been given permission by the Quality Surveillance Team to place it on our website – which we are pleased
Read more
We are particularly pleased to see the plan to roll-out Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDCs) across the country following the 2018 trial. Cancer alliances are required to have at least one RDC site accepting patients NLT January 2020. The aim with RDCs is that ‘patients displaying symptoms of cancer can be assessed and diagnosed in as little as a day.’ Existing
Read more
The NHS Long Term Plan has now been launched which sets out the way forward for cancer services. Cancer and the NHS Long Term Plan In the consultation period, and in meetings with the team preparing the plan, we have pushed for genomic testing for CUP patients and it is pleasing to see in the attached ‘The offer of genomic testing
Read more