Cancer of Unknown Primary - 2WW
Service Overview
Cancer of Unknown Primary services are available via 2WW for patients with cancer where the primary disease site is not clear.
Please note that this service is for patients who have radiological evidence of metastatic disease where there is no clear primary origin of cancer. It is not suitable for patients with concerning symptoms but no evidence of cancer where more a more specific 2WW referral may be more appropriate.
An urgent CT of the Chest, Abdomen and Pelvis should be ordered where GP direct access to this test is available.
For more information please see:
NICE guidance - Metastatic Malignant Disease of Unknown Primary Origin (CG104)
Referral Guidance
Referrals to be made via e-Referral using the 2WW proforma (word doc). If the patient is from the Weston area, the referral gets sent to Acute oncology at WGH to triage and either accept or reject.
For professional queries about suitability of referral please contact the Cancer of Unknown Primary teams:
For UHB: To discuss referral please contact UHB Cancer of Unknown Primary Team on 0117 342 1295
For NBT: GPs can phone the acute oncology service (AOS) clinical nurse specialist for advice/information on 07860 783116
For Weston: GPs can phone the acute oncology service (AOS) clinical nurse specialist for advice/information on
01934 881080.
BEFORE PHONING FOR ADVICE, PLEASE PERFORM FULL HISTORY AND EXAMINATION AND BASIC ASSESSMENT / TESTS
If advised to refer into MDT, then please submit a 2WW referral to the relevant secondary care team who will ensure that all the required information is available to enable an effective MDT discussion.
At time of referral please issue the relevant BNSSG 2WW Patient Information Leaflet - COVID-19 edition, which is available in English and 14 additional languages. There is also an Easy Read version of the leaflet.