Unknown primary cancer – Optimal Care Pathways

STEP 4: Treatment

Treatment options: Treatment should be individualised according to the clinicopathological subset and the suspected primary site. Patients in the specific-CUP subset who have good-prognosis CUP should be treated the same as patients with equivalent known primary tumours with metastatic disease. For patients with a non-specific subset of CUP, but who have a favourable prognosis, a…

Older people with cancer (aged 70 years or older)

Planning and delivering appropriate cancer care for older people presents a number of challenges. Improved communication between the fields of oncology and geriatrics is required to facilitate the delivery of best practice care, which takes into account physiological age, complex comorbidities, risk of adverse events and drug interactions as well as the implications of cognitive…

Statement of acknowledgement

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to the land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present and emerging. This work is available from the Cancer Council website. First published in January 2020. ISBN: 978 1 76096 154 1…

Appendix A: Supportive care

Supportive care in cancer refers to the following five domains: physical domain, which includes a wide range of physical symptoms that may be acute, relatively short-lived or ongoing, requiring continuing interventions or rehabilitation (NBCC & NCCI 2003) psychological domain, which includes a range of issues related to the person’s mental health and personal relationships (NBCC…

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to the following health professionals, consumer representatives, stakeholders and organisations consulted in the development of this optimal care pathway.

7.3 Support and communication

Expert working group

Assoc. Prof. Linda Mileshkin (Chair), Medical Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Dr Amey Aurangabadkar, Radiologist, Illawarra Radiology Group Prof. David Ball, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Prof. David Bowtell, Genomics Specialist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Ms Cindy Bryant, Consumer representative and nurse Ms Julie Callaghan, System Improvement Program Lead, Cancer Institute NSW Dr Tina…

7.2 Research and clinical trials

Participation in research and clinical trials should be encouraged where available and appropriate. Australian Cancer Trials is a national clinical trials database. It provides information on the latest clinical trials in cancer care, including trials that are recruiting new participants. For more information visit the Australian Cancer Trials website.

Medical colleges and peak organisations invited to provide feedback

Allied Health Professions Australia Australian Society of Gynaecological Oncologists Australian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists Australian and New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Care Australian Chapter of Palliative Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians Australian College of Nursing Australian Institute of Radiography Australian Medical Association Interventional Radiology Society of…

5.1 Survivorship

Survival from CUP is improving over time (Riihimaki et al. 2013b). Between 2010 and 2014, people diagnosed with CUP had a 14 per cent chance of surviving for five years compared with the age- and sex-matched general Australian population. This has increased from 6 per cent between 1984 and 1988 (AIHW 2018). While long-term survival…