<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Head and neck cancers of unknown primary (CUP) represent up to 10% of all cancers located in the head and neck. True cancers of unknown primary, which remain of undetected primary origin after a correct clinical, imaging, surgical evaluation, have a reported frequency of between 1% and 2%. Cancers of unknown primary of the head and neck are a diagnostic challenge, considering that their main clinical manifestation is represented by the appearance of lymph node metastases in the cervical region.
In general, the detection of cancers with an unknown starting point is late, difficult, with significant therapeutic failure. The diagnostic-therapeutic approach starts from the histopathological structure of the lymph node metastasis and continues with a correct and complete imaging evaluation.
In this review are presented the diagnosis and therapeutic challenges and importance of head and neck cancers with unknown primary.
</abstract>

Head and neck cancers of unknown primary (CUP) represent up to 10% of all cancers located in the head and neck. True cancers of unknown primary, which remain of undetected primary origin after a correct clinical, imaging, surgical evaluation, have a reported frequency of between 1% and 2%. Cancers of unknown primary of the head and neck are a diagnostic challenge, considering that their main clinical manifestation is represented by the appearance of lymph node metastases in the cervical region.
In general, the detection of cancers with an unknown starting point is late, difficult, with significant therapeutic failure. The diagnostic-therapeutic approach starts from the histopathological structure of the lymph node metastasis and continues with a correct and complete imaging evaluation.
In this review are presented the diagnosis and therapeutic challenges and importance of head and neck cancers with unknown primary.

Head and neck cancers of unknown primary: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Romanian Journal of Rhinology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Head and neck cancers of unknown primary: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge"}

Head and neck cancers of unknown primary (CUP) represent up to 10% of all cancers located in the head and neck. True cancers of unknown primary, which remain...

Head and neck cancers of unknown primary: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

Published Online: Feb 18, 2023

Page range: 11 - 21

Received: Sep 12, 2022

Accepted: Nov 04, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjr-2023-0003

Keywords
head and neck cancer, unknown primary, adenopathy, metastatic lymph node

© 2023 Raluca Enache et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Head and neck cancers of unknown primary: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

Published Online: Feb 18, 2023

Page range: 11 - 21

Received: Sep 12, 2022

Accepted: Nov 04, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rjr-2023-0003

Keywordshead and neck cancer, unknown primary, adenopathy, metastatic lymph node

© 2023 Raluca Enache et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
head and neck cancer, unknown primary, adenopathy, metastatic lymph node