Abstract
Cancer of unknown primary is associated with unknown biology and dismal prognosis. The most common primary sites of cancer of unknown primary were usually the lungs in autopsy studies, and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is rare. We describe the case of a 57-year-old male patient with systemic lymph node metastasis. Imaging examination failed to reveal primary cancer; however, immunostaining of cytokeratins 7, 19, and 20 of a metastatic axillary lymph node suggested a pancreaticobiliary cancer as a primary lesion. He died of liver abscess and sepsis, and then, autopsy indicated occult intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. We discuss the clinical course of this rare cholangiocarcinoma including the diagnostic procedure and also present a review of the English literature regarding patients with cancer of unknown primary.
Highlights
Carcinomas of unknown primary (CUP) represent a group of heterogeneous tumors that has no identifiable origin [1]
Despite advances in tumor pathology and imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET), CUP account for about 5 % of all cancers [2,3,4] and are associated with a dismal prognosis [5–8]
The patient was diagnosed with occult intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma by autopsy
Summary
Carcinomas of unknown primary (CUP) represent a group of heterogeneous tumors that has no identifiable origin [1]. Background Carcinomas of unknown primary (CUP) represent a group of heterogeneous tumors that has no identifiable origin [1]. In such CUP cases, an autopsy is performed to find the primary site. We describe the case of a 59-year-old male patient with CUP.
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