You may get just 1 type of treatment or a combination of treatments. Treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or surgery.
Chemotherapy can shrink tumors. It can also help ease symptoms the cancer is causing. It may even make some tumors go away.
Radiation may be used to treat the symptoms of cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Sometimes radiation may also be used to cure the cancer if it hasn't spread too far.
During surgery, your healthcare provider removes a tumor or tumors from your body. Most of the time, they try to take out all the cancer and some of the normal tissue around it.
If your healthcare provider thinks that your cancer of unknown primary may be breast or prostate cancer, they may suggest hormone therapy. This treatment is sometimes used to stop the hormones in your body from allowing cancer cells to grow.
Complementary medicine is used along with other therapies. It often serves to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Alternative medicine is used alone, without standard treatment.