[Progress in the diagnosis of unknown primary neoplasms]

About 5% of tumours clinically begin as unknown origin metastases involving some difficult diagnostic and therapeutic problems. In these cases the main goal is the formulation of the diagnosis as rapidly as possible because only about 10-15% of diagnosed patients are susceptible of treatment. Between 1973-1989 we observed 59 patients with unknown origin metastases. The diagnosis has been expressed in 5 patients by means of histochemical and immunohistochemical analysis, in 6 patients by means of radiologic and instrumental tests and in 3 patients spontaneously after 2-3 months.