Rare Types Of Skin And Breast Cancer And Others
Cancer. Just the word can send shivers down a person’s spine. There is hardly a person in the world today that has not been somehow affected by cancer. There are many types and forms of cancer. This article will highlight five of the rarer types of cancer that make up less than 200,000 cases of cancer in the U.S. each year.
Alveolar Soft-Part Sarcoma
This rare form of cancer is found mainly in children and young adults. It accounts for fifteen percent of all childhood cancers. There are 15-80 cases per year nationwide. It is characterized as a slow-growing, malignant soft tissue tumor. It is usually found in the thighs or the legs of a child, but sometimes can be found in the head or neck area.
The symptoms for this type of cancer are: a painless swelling or a lump, limping, diminished range of motion, or pain and soreness that is caused by the tumor pressing on the nerves and muscles surrounding it.
Alveolar Soft-Part Sarcoma is diagnosed by a biopy and further testing such as: x-rays, MRI’s, and CAT scans. There are two stages of this cancer: localized or metastatic. It sometimes spreads to the lungs and the brain. There are mainly two options for curing as this cancer is unresponsive to chemotherapy. Surgery is mainly used if the tumor is localized, meaning it hasn’t spread to other organs. Radiation therapy usually follows. It has a improper survival rate of 54% for a five year span.
Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Merkel cells are the touch receptors under the skin’s surface. A rare type of cancer called the Merkel Cell Carcinoma occurs about 1500 cases in one year in the U.S. It is characterized by a painless but firm flesh-colored, red or blue bump on the skin’s surface. It is found most commonly on the head and arms. This is the situation that is most usually exposed to the sun.
Risk factors include: being the age over 65, having fair skin, having a lot of sun exposure. Studies have also shown that having a weak immune system can further indicate to be a risk to this type of cancer. Some studies suggest also suggest that women may have a higher risk than men, but it has not been confirmed.
In 2008, there was a new virus discovered in that was linked to Merkel Cell Carcinoma. The virus was called Merkel Cell Polyamavirus, which was found in 8 out of 10 tumors.
A skin biopsy is done to confirm this rare cancer. If needs be surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy may follow if the cancer has spread. Some of the symptoms if it has spread to other parts of the body are swollen lymph nodes, pain and fatigue. Most deaths take place in the first three years after the diagnosis.
Chordoma
Chordoma is another rare sort of cancer. It is a slow-growing malignant tumor that is found on the bones of the skull base and along the spine. It is most frequently found at the top and at the bottom of the spine. It makes up 1 percent of all malignant bone tumors. There are 300 cases in the US a year.
There are no known risk factors for this rare cancer. The symptoms depend on the location of the tumor. If the tumor is found on the skull there are usually headaches and blurry vision. Afflict in the legs, arms, weakness or numbness of limbs, is usually characteristics of a tumor found on the spine. It is very similar to a herniated disc. If the tumor is located on the tailbone there is usually numbness and loss of bladder and bowel control.
Some studies suggest that this cancer affects more men than women and also more frequently occurs between the ages of 40 and 70.
There are three different types of chordoma: faded, chondroid, and dedifferentiated. The best options for treating this cancer include: complete surgical resection and radiation. Chemotherapy is not effective to this rare cancer. The ten year survival rate is 46%. There is a lot of research for new radiation treatments that could be vital in curing this cancer.
Gall Bladder Cancer
Cancer of the gall bladder is a very rare and deadly cancer. There are 7100 cases of this type of cancer in the US per year. The survival rate is very low due to the fact that the symptoms are so common to other ailments that it is not caught fleet enough.
Symptoms include: jaundice, bloating, abdominal pain, weight loss, fever and nausea. It is understanding to be caused by the build up of gallstones. This causes a condition called Porcelain Gallbladder which is found in 80 % of all gallbladder cancer cases.
Smoking is a great risk factor. Others include: obesity, having polyps on the gallbladder, family history of this cancer. Women are twice more likely to get this type of cancer than men. This cancer occurs most of the time in the ages of 50-60.
There are three stages of this rare cancer. The first stage is called localized respectable. Cancer found at this stage is usually only because the gallbladder was taken out for other reasons. The second stage is localized unrespectable. The gallbladder can usually not be taken out at this stage because the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or the liver. At this stage there is less than a 5% two year survival rate. The third stage is the advanced disease. It has by this time spread to the other organs like the liver, lungs and small intestine. The two year survival rate for this stage is less than one percent.
Paget’s Disease of the Breast
Paget’s Disease is a rare type of breast cancer that only makes up less than five percent of all breast cancers. This cancer starts in the breast ducts and extends to the skin of the nipple. Most of the cases of Paget’s Disease also has an underlying ductal breast cancer. An extremely rare case is if the cancer is contained only to the nipple itself. Men also can get this type of cancer but hardly ever.
Paget’s Disease is described that it looks like eczema on the nipple. Symptoms include: flaky skin on nipple, redness itching, burning, and bloody discharge. Risk factors for this cancer include: being of older age, family history of this cancer, radiation exposure as child, being overweight, and a prolonged exposure to estrogen.
A biopsy and mammogram are usually done to find this cancer. A lumpectomy or mastectomy is usually done. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are done if the cancer is persistent. There are many clinical trials and research taking place to find the cure for this rare type of cancer.
The survival rate depends on if the cancer is contained in the nipple only or if it has spread. If it only affects the nipple the survival rate is honorable 92-94%. If it has spread, the cancer must be studied on what stages the other areas are that have been affected.
www.cancersupportivecare.com/gallbladder.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordoma
orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm? topic=A00084
www.mayoclinic.com/health/gallbladder-cancer/ds00425
www.cancer.org/emedicine.medscape.com/article/278641-overview …/cri_2_4_3x_how_is_gall_bladder_cancer_diagnosed_68.asp –
www.macmillan.org.uk › Cancer information › Cancer types -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallbladder_cancer
emedicine.medscape.com › … › Malignant Neoplasms
www.merkelcell.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_soft_part_sarcoma
www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site564/mainpageS564P0.html
www.alveolarspsarcoma.net/index.php? p=whatis
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/sites…/paget-breast
www.mayoclinic.com/…/pagets-disease-of-the-breast/ds00771
www.macmillan.org.uk › … › Types & related conditions
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