©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 26, 2025; 13(33): 112160
Published online Nov 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i33.112160
Published online Nov 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i33.112160
Squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary in the pelvis after complete remission following chemoradiotherapy: A case report
Anupam K Gupta, Department of General Surgery, SSM Health, Mt Vernon, IL 62864, United States
Harsha Polavarapu, Department of Surgery, Blessing Hospital, Quincy, IL 62301, United States
Author contributions: Gupta AK and Polavarapu H designed the research study, drafted and revised the manuscript; Gupta AK collected the clinical data and performed the literature review; Polavarapu H was the managing physician and performed the procedure, assisted in pathological interpretation, and contributed to discussion writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Corresponding author: Anupam K Gupta, Department of General Surgery, SSM Health, 1 Good Samaritan Way, Mt Vernon, IL 62864, United States. dranupamkumargupta@gmail.com
Received: July 21, 2025
Revised: August 16, 2025
Accepted: October 23, 2025
Published online: November 26, 2025
Processing time: 125 Days and 12.7 Hours
Revised: August 16, 2025
Accepted: October 23, 2025
Published online: November 26, 2025
Processing time: 125 Days and 12.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This case report describes an elderly woman with pelvic squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP), an entity accounting for less than 1% of CUP cases. A comprehensive diagnostic workup ruled out common primaries, and multidisciplinary evaluation led to chemoradiotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-C plus radiotherapy. The patient achieved complete remission for 12 months with improved functional status. This report emphasizes the value of imaging, pathology, and individualized multidisciplinary management in achieving durable remission in rare pelvic squamous CUP.