The National Cancer Intelligence Network’s latest data published on 23 Jan 14, show that more than half (57%) of newly diagnosed cases of Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) in England between 2006 and 2010 – presented as an emergency compared to 23% for all cancers. The 1-year survival rates for all CUP patients included in the Routes to Diagnosis study is 16%, which is low compared to most other cancer types. CUP tumours presenting as an emergency – including from A&E or emergency referral from a GP – have the lowest survival of all the routes to diagnosis, whereas CUPs presented through managed routes, for example the Two Week Wait, have significantly better survival. The age of patients presenting with CUP also impacts survival; nearly 40% of the 44,100 cases of CUP diagnosed in England during the same period were aged 80 years and over.
“ This research encourages patients and their loved ones to know that CUP 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 patients, starting to become apparent following the introduction of the NICE Guideline on CUP in 2010, will be stimulated further by this authoritative study.” John Symons, Director of the Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) Foundation.
See Routes to Diagnosis by route and survival for headline data. See routes to diagnosis workbook on the NCIN page here for full report.