Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Cancer of unknown primary origin causes
Introduction
Overview
Overview
The cause of cancer of unknown primary origin has not been identified.
Causes
Causes
- The cause of cancer of unknown primary origin has not been identified.
- Several studies have evaluated the chromosomal and molecular anomalies found in cancers of unknown primary; however, they could not identify unique causes of metastasis of unknown primaries relative to those with known primary origins.
- Overexpression of several genes has been noted in patients with cancer of unknown primary including Ras, p53, Bcl-2, and Her-2.[1][2]
References
References
- ↑ Hainsworth JD, Lennington WJ, Greco FA (2000). “Overexpression of Her-2 in patients with poorly differentiated carcinoma or poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of unknown primary site”. J Clin Oncol. 18 (3): 632–5. doi:10.1200/JCO.2000.18.3.632. PMID 10653878.
- ↑ Briasoulis E, Tsokos M, Fountzilas G, Bafaloukos D, Kosmidis P, Samantas E; et al. (1998). “Bcl2 and p53 protein expression in metastatic carcinoma of unknown primary origin: biological and clinical implications. A Hellenic Co-operative Oncology Group study”. Anticancer Res. 18 (3B): 1907–14. PMID 9677443.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: ; Roukoz A. Karam, M.D.[2]