Hello LisaB2, 

Being diagnosed with Cancer of Unknown Primary can be truly unsettling for patients and their families and leave people wondering where the cancer started and it must be really difficult not to have all these important answers as if they were some crucial pieces missing in a puzzle. This must be especially hard if you are told that they are not doing any more tests to find the primary and that only palliative treatment can be offered. There is useful information on our website on treatment to control symptoms of CUP (palliative treatment) and you may at the moment find that you are not quite sure how to care for your brother but there is support available and I would suggest you read our information page on support at home for you and your family so that you find out what practical and emotional support is available to you. 

As you can read on our information page on our website, coping with cancer of unknown primary (CUP) can be really difficult and I hope that you will hear from other members of our community who have had a CUP diagnosis before or who have supported a loved one in a similar situation. Feel free also to call our cancer nurses who will be happy to give advice about who can help you and what kind of support is available. The number to call is Freephone: 0808 800 4040 - Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. 

I hope that you will hear from others on this forum who have had a CUP diagnosis - I remember welcoming Grace-CUP a few weeks ago who posted this CUP - Cancer of Unknown Primary thread so feel free to post a response to that thread if you would like to connect with someone else who has been diagnosed with CUP recently. 

Best wishes to you and your brother - we're all here for you anytime you need to chat,

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator