Treatments for melanoma of unknown primary
Melanoma is a type of cancer that starts in melanocyte cells of the skin. Melanocytes make melanin. Melanin gives skin, hair and eyes their colour.
Melanoma of unknown primary is usually found in lymph nodes.
Surgery to remove the lymph nodes is called a lymph node dissection. It is the main treatment for melanoma of unknown primary.
Find out more about a lymph node dissection.
Clinical trials
Talk to your doctor about clinical trials open to people with CUP in Canada. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer. Find out more about clinical trials.
If you can’t have or don’t want cancer treatment
You may want to consider a type of care to make you feel better without treating the cancer itself. This may be because the cancer treatments don't work anymore, they're not likely to improve your condition or they may cause side effects that are hard to cope with. There may also be other reasons why you can't have or don't want cancer treatment.
Talk to your healthcare team. They can help you choose care and treatment for advanced cancer.