Progress in fighting CUP?

CUP is not an accronym you see everyday unless you are one of the researchers working in the fight against cancer.  CUP means Cancer (or more properly, Carcinoma) of Unknown Primary.  It refers to a small subset of cancers (3-5%) where by the time metastatic tumors are identified, the physicians can no longer tell where the cancer started.  It is important to a patient’s treatment to know for example whether a cancer that has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body) started as lung, colon or other type of cancer.  This GenomeWeb article cites recent research that is focused on developing better molecular-based methods of identifying the “Primary” in Cancers of Unknown Primary.  More accurate identification of the originating tumor type can lead to more targeted treatment and better outcomes.  Better outcomes in the fight against cancer is just another example of the importance of education and research to the development and application of knowledge that improves our social economics.