U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Recurrent Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary

MedGen UID:
235540
•Concept ID:
C1335714
•
Neoplastic Process
Synonyms: Recurrent Metastatic Epidermoid Carcinoma to the Neck with Occult Primary; Recurrent Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Neck with Occult Primary; Recurrent Neck Squamous Cell CUP; Relapsed Metastatic Epidermoid Carcinoma to the Neck with Occult Primary; Relapsed Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma to the Neck with Occult Primary

Definition

The reemergence of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary in the neck region after a period of remission. [from NCI]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVRecurrent Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Treatment outcomes of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity in young adults.
Gamez ME, Kraus R, Hinni ML, Moore EJ, Ma DJ, Ko SJ, Rwigema JCM, McGee LA, Halyard MY, Buras MR, Foote RL, Patel SH
Oral Oncol 2018 Dec;87:43-48. Epub 2018 Oct 22 doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2018.10.014. PMID: 30527242
Clinical Practice in PET/CT for the Management of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer.
Goel R, Moore W, Sumer B, Khan S, Sher D, Subramaniam RM
AJR Am J Roentgenol 2017 Aug;209(2):289-303. doi: 10.2214/AJR.17.18301. PMID: 28731808
Management of Squamous Cancer Metastatic to Cervical Nodes With an Unknown Primary Site.
Galloway TJ, Ridge JA
J Clin Oncol 2015 Oct 10;33(29):3328-37. Epub 2015 Sep 8 doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.61.0063. PMID: 26351351

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Assessment of Toxic Effects and Survival in Treatment Deescalation With Radiotherapy vs Transoral Surgery for HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The ORATOR2 Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial.
Palma DA, Prisman E, Berthelet E, Tran E, Hamilton S, Wu J, Eskander A, Higgins K, Karam I, Poon I, Husain Z, Enepekides D, Hier M, Sultanem K, Richardson K, Mlynarek A, Johnson-Obaseki S, Odell M, Bayley A, Dowthwaite S, Jackson JE, Dzienis M, O'Neil J, Chandarana S, Banerjee R, Hart R, Chung J, Tenenholtz T, Krishnan S, Le H, Yoo J, Mendez A, Winquist E, Kuruvilla S, Stewart P, Warner A, Mitchell S, Chen J, Parker C, Wehrli B, Kwan K, Theurer J, Sathya J, Hammond JA, Read N, Venkatesan V, MacNeil SD, Fung K, Nichols AC
JAMA Oncol 2022 Jun 1;8(6):1-7. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.0615. PMID: 35482348Free PMC Article
Tumour Cell Anaplasia and Multinucleation as Prognosticators in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Molony P, Werner R, Martin C, Callanan D, Sheahan P, Heffron C, Feeley L
Head Neck Pathol 2020 Sep;14(3):606-615. Epub 2019 Sep 24 doi: 10.1007/s12105-019-01081-7. PMID: 31552619Free PMC Article
Treatment outcomes of unknown primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Hung YH, Liu SA, Wang CC, Wang CP, Jiang RS, Wu SH
PLoS One 2018;13(10):e0205365. Epub 2018 Oct 18 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205365. PMID: 30335795Free PMC Article
Unknown primary of the head and neck: A long-term follow-up.
Lanzer M, Bachna-Rotter S, Graupp M, Bredell M, Rücker M, Huber G, Reinisch S, Schumann P
J Craniomaxillofac Surg 2015 May;43(4):574-9. Epub 2015 Mar 9 doi: 10.1016/j.jcms.2015.03.004. PMID: 25841309
Landscape of genomic alterations in cervical carcinomas.
Ojesina AI, Lichtenstein L, Freeman SS, Pedamallu CS, Imaz-Rosshandler I, Pugh TJ, Cherniack AD, Ambrogio L, Cibulskis K, Bertelsen B, Romero-Cordoba S, Treviño V, Vazquez-Santillan K, Guadarrama AS, Wright AA, Rosenberg MW, Duke F, Kaplan B, Wang R, Nickerson E, Walline HM, Lawrence MS, Stewart C, Carter SL, McKenna A, Rodriguez-Sanchez IP, Espinosa-Castilla M, Woie K, Bjorge L, Wik E, Halle MK, Hoivik EA, Krakstad C, Gabiño NB, Gómez-Macías GS, Valdez-Chapa LD, Garza-Rodríguez ML, Maytorena G, Vazquez J, Rodea C, Cravioto A, Cortes ML, Greulich H, Crum CP, Neuberg DS, Hidalgo-Miranda A, Escareno CR, Akslen LA, Carey TE, Vintermyr OK, Gabriel SB, Barrera-Saldaña HA, Melendez-Zajgla J, Getz G, Salvesen HB, Meyerson M
Nature 2014 Feb 20;506(7488):371-5. Epub 2013 Dec 25 doi: 10.1038/nature12881. PMID: 24390348Free PMC Article

Diagnosis

PET/CT in Surgical Planning for Head and Neck Cancer.
Strohl MP, Ha PK, Flavell RR, Yom SS
Semin Nucl Med 2021 Jan;51(1):50-58. Epub 2020 Aug 7 doi: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2020.07.009. PMID: 33246539
PET/CT and PET/MRI in head and neck malignancy.
Szyszko TA, Cook GJR
Clin Radiol 2018 Jan;73(1):60-69. Epub 2017 Oct 10 doi: 10.1016/j.crad.2017.09.001. PMID: 29029767
Clinical Practice in PET/CT for the Management of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer.
Goel R, Moore W, Sumer B, Khan S, Sher D, Subramaniam RM
AJR Am J Roentgenol 2017 Aug;209(2):289-303. doi: 10.2214/AJR.17.18301. PMID: 28731808
Management of Squamous Cancer Metastatic to Cervical Nodes With an Unknown Primary Site.
Galloway TJ, Ridge JA
J Clin Oncol 2015 Oct 10;33(29):3328-37. Epub 2015 Sep 8 doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.61.0063. PMID: 26351351
Unknown primary of the head and neck: A long-term follow-up.
Lanzer M, Bachna-Rotter S, Graupp M, Bredell M, Rücker M, Huber G, Reinisch S, Schumann P
J Craniomaxillofac Surg 2015 May;43(4):574-9. Epub 2015 Mar 9 doi: 10.1016/j.jcms.2015.03.004. PMID: 25841309

Therapy

Dose planning study of proton versus photon radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary in the primary and recurrent setting.
Holm AIS, Elstrøm UV, Nielsen SB, Jensen K
Acta Oncol 2023 Nov;62(11):1412-1417. Epub 2023 Nov 7 doi: 10.1080/0284186X.2023.2263156. PMID: 37815913
Phase 1 Dose Escalation of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and Concurrent Cisplatin for Reirradiation of Unresectable, Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.
Echevarria MI, Yang GQ, Chen DT, Kirtane K, Russell J, Kish J, Muzaffar J, Otto K, Padhya T, McMullen C, Patel K, Chung CH, Caudell JJ
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2023 Oct 1;117(2):341-347. Epub 2023 Apr 25 doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.04.007. PMID: 37105404
Assessment of Toxic Effects and Survival in Treatment Deescalation With Radiotherapy vs Transoral Surgery for HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The ORATOR2 Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial.
Palma DA, Prisman E, Berthelet E, Tran E, Hamilton S, Wu J, Eskander A, Higgins K, Karam I, Poon I, Husain Z, Enepekides D, Hier M, Sultanem K, Richardson K, Mlynarek A, Johnson-Obaseki S, Odell M, Bayley A, Dowthwaite S, Jackson JE, Dzienis M, O'Neil J, Chandarana S, Banerjee R, Hart R, Chung J, Tenenholtz T, Krishnan S, Le H, Yoo J, Mendez A, Winquist E, Kuruvilla S, Stewart P, Warner A, Mitchell S, Chen J, Parker C, Wehrli B, Kwan K, Theurer J, Sathya J, Hammond JA, Read N, Venkatesan V, MacNeil SD, Fung K, Nichols AC
JAMA Oncol 2022 Jun 1;8(6):1-7. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.0615. PMID: 35482348Free PMC Article
Afatinib and Pembrolizumab for Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ALPHA Study): A Phase II Study with Biomarker Analysis.
Kao HF, Liao BC, Huang YL, Huang HC, Chen CN, Chen TC, Hong YJ, Chan CY, Chia JS, Hong RL
Clin Cancer Res 2022 Apr 14;28(8):1560-1571. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-3025. PMID: 35046059Free PMC Article
The poor outcome of second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma is attributed to Bmi1 upregulation.
Hu Q, Wu T, Chen X, Li H, Du Z, Hao Y, Peng J, Tai S, Song M, Cheng B
Cancer Med 2018 Apr;7(4):1056-1069. Epub 2018 Feb 26 doi: 10.1002/cam4.1348. PMID: 29479858Free PMC Article

Prognosis

Afatinib and Pembrolizumab for Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ALPHA Study): A Phase II Study with Biomarker Analysis.
Kao HF, Liao BC, Huang YL, Huang HC, Chen CN, Chen TC, Hong YJ, Chan CY, Chia JS, Hong RL
Clin Cancer Res 2022 Apr 14;28(8):1560-1571. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-3025. PMID: 35046059Free PMC Article
Tumour Cell Anaplasia and Multinucleation as Prognosticators in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Molony P, Werner R, Martin C, Callanan D, Sheahan P, Heffron C, Feeley L
Head Neck Pathol 2020 Sep;14(3):606-615. Epub 2019 Sep 24 doi: 10.1007/s12105-019-01081-7. PMID: 31552619Free PMC Article
Treatment outcomes of unknown primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Hung YH, Liu SA, Wang CC, Wang CP, Jiang RS, Wu SH
PLoS One 2018;13(10):e0205365. Epub 2018 Oct 18 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205365. PMID: 30335795Free PMC Article
Clinical Practice in PET/CT for the Management of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer.
Goel R, Moore W, Sumer B, Khan S, Sher D, Subramaniam RM
AJR Am J Roentgenol 2017 Aug;209(2):289-303. doi: 10.2214/AJR.17.18301. PMID: 28731808
Unknown primary of the head and neck: A long-term follow-up.
Lanzer M, Bachna-Rotter S, Graupp M, Bredell M, Rücker M, Huber G, Reinisch S, Schumann P
J Craniomaxillofac Surg 2015 May;43(4):574-9. Epub 2015 Mar 9 doi: 10.1016/j.jcms.2015.03.004. PMID: 25841309

Clinical prediction guides

Assessment of Toxic Effects and Survival in Treatment Deescalation With Radiotherapy vs Transoral Surgery for HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The ORATOR2 Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial.
Palma DA, Prisman E, Berthelet E, Tran E, Hamilton S, Wu J, Eskander A, Higgins K, Karam I, Poon I, Husain Z, Enepekides D, Hier M, Sultanem K, Richardson K, Mlynarek A, Johnson-Obaseki S, Odell M, Bayley A, Dowthwaite S, Jackson JE, Dzienis M, O'Neil J, Chandarana S, Banerjee R, Hart R, Chung J, Tenenholtz T, Krishnan S, Le H, Yoo J, Mendez A, Winquist E, Kuruvilla S, Stewart P, Warner A, Mitchell S, Chen J, Parker C, Wehrli B, Kwan K, Theurer J, Sathya J, Hammond JA, Read N, Venkatesan V, MacNeil SD, Fung K, Nichols AC
JAMA Oncol 2022 Jun 1;8(6):1-7. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.0615. PMID: 35482348Free PMC Article
Afatinib and Pembrolizumab for Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ALPHA Study): A Phase II Study with Biomarker Analysis.
Kao HF, Liao BC, Huang YL, Huang HC, Chen CN, Chen TC, Hong YJ, Chan CY, Chia JS, Hong RL
Clin Cancer Res 2022 Apr 14;28(8):1560-1571. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-3025. PMID: 35046059Free PMC Article
PET/CT in Surgical Planning for Head and Neck Cancer.
Strohl MP, Ha PK, Flavell RR, Yom SS
Semin Nucl Med 2021 Jan;51(1):50-58. Epub 2020 Aug 7 doi: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2020.07.009. PMID: 33246539
Tumour Cell Anaplasia and Multinucleation as Prognosticators in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Molony P, Werner R, Martin C, Callanan D, Sheahan P, Heffron C, Feeley L
Head Neck Pathol 2020 Sep;14(3):606-615. Epub 2019 Sep 24 doi: 10.1007/s12105-019-01081-7. PMID: 31552619Free PMC Article
Landscape of genomic alterations in cervical carcinomas.
Ojesina AI, Lichtenstein L, Freeman SS, Pedamallu CS, Imaz-Rosshandler I, Pugh TJ, Cherniack AD, Ambrogio L, Cibulskis K, Bertelsen B, Romero-Cordoba S, Treviño V, Vazquez-Santillan K, Guadarrama AS, Wright AA, Rosenberg MW, Duke F, Kaplan B, Wang R, Nickerson E, Walline HM, Lawrence MS, Stewart C, Carter SL, McKenna A, Rodriguez-Sanchez IP, Espinosa-Castilla M, Woie K, Bjorge L, Wik E, Halle MK, Hoivik EA, Krakstad C, Gabiño NB, Gómez-Macías GS, Valdez-Chapa LD, Garza-Rodríguez ML, Maytorena G, Vazquez J, Rodea C, Cravioto A, Cortes ML, Greulich H, Crum CP, Neuberg DS, Hidalgo-Miranda A, Escareno CR, Akslen LA, Carey TE, Vintermyr OK, Gabriel SB, Barrera-Saldaña HA, Melendez-Zajgla J, Getz G, Salvesen HB, Meyerson M
Nature 2014 Feb 20;506(7488):371-5. Epub 2013 Dec 25 doi: 10.1038/nature12881. PMID: 24390348Free PMC Article

Recent systematic reviews

Diagnosis, Staging, Radiation Treatment Response Assessment, and Outcome Prognostication of Head and Neck Cancers Using PET Imaging: A Systematic Review.
Hohenstein NA, Chan JW, Wu SY, Tahir P, Yom SS
PET Clin 2020 Jan;15(1):65-75. doi: 10.1016/j.cpet.2019.08.010. PMID: 31735303
Narrow band imaging for the diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review.
Cosway B, Drinnan M, Paleri V
Head Neck 2016 Apr;38 Suppl 1:E2358-67. Epub 2016 Feb 18 doi: 10.1002/hed.24300. PMID: 26891200
Evidence-based guideline recommendations on the use of positron emission tomography imaging in head and neck cancer.
Yoo J, Henderson S, Walker-Dilks C
Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2013 Apr;25(4):e33-66. Epub 2012 Sep 26 doi: 10.1016/j.clon.2012.08.007. PMID: 23021712

Supplemental Content

Table of contents

    Practice guidelines

    • PubMed
      See practice and clinical guidelines in PubMed. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.
    • Bookshelf
      See practice and clinical guidelines in NCBI Bookshelf. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Related information

    • PMC Articles
      Related information in PubMed Central Links
    • PubMed
      Related literature resources in PubMed

    Recent activity

    Clear Turn Off Turn On

    Your browsing activity is empty.

    Activity recording is turned off.

    Turn recording back on

    See more...