Cancer of Unknown Primary site
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) origin is diagnosed when cancer is found, having spread elsewhere in the body, but the place where the cancer began (the primary site) cannot be determined.
Generally, over the last 20 years, the rate of incidence of CUP has been declining (-22%), however the mortality rate associated with CUP has been increasing (up by 12%).
In 2004, CUP was the seventh most common cancer in Australia, with 3292 new cases reported, accounting for 3.3% of new cancers in the Australian population.
In 2005, CUP was the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia. There were 3378 deaths attributed to CUP, accounting for 8.7% of all cancer deaths in Australia.