The Cost of Uncertainty: A Microcosting Analysis of the Cancer of Unknown Primary Diagnostic Pathway

Background

Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) is a heterogeneous group of cancers for which a primary site cannot be identified. The diagnostic pathway is often protracted and resource-intensive, with little known about the costs involved. The primary aims of this study were to (a) determine time-to-treatment-decision (pathway duration) and (b) estimate resources incurred and direct healthcare costs within the UK's diagnostic pathway.