Cervical metastases from an occult primary site

Less than 5% of patients with metastatic cervical carcinoma will not have a detectable primary site despite a proper work-up. Recent aids for these diagnostic problems include fine needle aspiration and immunohistochemical panels to differentiate undifferentiated carcinoma from melanoma and/or lymphoma. CT scanning can suggest areas in the upper aerodigestive tract for biopsy and can be helpful in suggesting the pathology of the enlarged lymph nodes. EBV titers are often elevated when a nasopharyngeal carcinoma is small. Aggressive treatment of the occult primary patient with metastatic melanoma, thyroid cancer, and metastatic cancer presumed to arise from the skin of the head and neck or the mucous membranes of the upper aerodigestive tract is indicated as long-term survival is often achieved.