CERVICAL METASTASIS FROM THE UNKNOWN PRIMARY TUMOR

A retrospective study was performed to examine the results of treatmen t for cervical lymph node metastases from an unknown primary between 1 978 and 1988. We reviewed 66 patients treated with either surgery and/ or radiotherapy (n = 41), radiation therapy and chemotherapy (n = 11), combined modality treatment with surgery (n = 8) or with management d elayed to proven disease (n = 6). The male-to-female ratio was 5.6 to 1, and the median age was 64 years (range, 15-89 years). Intercurrent death-corrected 5-year survival was 50%. The most important prognostic factors were M category and involvement of supraclavicular nodes. Pri mary tumor was eventually discovered in 12 patients during follow-up, 6 of whom received treatment with curative intent. The most common sit e of primary tumor was found to be the lung (n = 5).