Molecular Gene Expression Profiling to Predict the Tissue of Origin and Direct Site-Specific Therapy in Patients With Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Site: A Prospective Trial of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute

Abstract

In this large prospective trial, molecular tumor profiling predicted a tissue of origin in most patients with CUP. The median survival time of 12.5 months for patients who received assay-directed site-specific therapy compares favorably with previous results using empiric CUP regimens. Patients with CUP predicted to have more responsive tumor types had longer survival compared with patients with less responsive tumor types. Molecular tumor profiling contributes to the management of patients with CUP and should be a part of their standard evaluation.