According to cancer.org, cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. Cancer cells are abnormal cells that do not die, but rather continue to grow at an abnormal rate where it invades and kills healthy tissue. Some cancers are easy to spot because they have clear warning signs and evident tumor growth, however, other forms do not exhibit noticeable warning signs or symptoms. In this article, we will discuss two of the rarest deadly forms of cancer, why they are dangerous, and possible treatment options.
Pancreatic cancer tops our list for rarest and most deadly forms of cancer as it often exhibits no initial warning signs and has a high fatality rate. According to the Mayo Clinic website, pancreatic cancer is hard to diagnose in early stages, spreads quickly to other healthy tissue, and is easiest detected after the cancer spreads, which makes surgical removal impossible. Symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, fat in the stool, pale colored stools. Most forms of pancreatic cancer occurs in people over 60 years of age, and has less than a 5% survivability rate (wrongdiagnoses.com). The most common risk factors for pancreatic cancer are from risky behavior such as smoking, diabetes, obesity, diet, and genetics. Although treatable by surgical removal in the early stages, pancreatic cancer is very hard to treat once it develops and spreads throughout the body. Chemotherapy and surgery are the leading cures for the cancer, but have a low success rate because symptoms do not typically develop until the cancer has spread.
According to Mesothelioma-lung-cancer.org, mesothelioma is a rare form of lung, heart, and abdomen cancer that develops in the mesothelium. The mesothelium is the lining that covers internal organs in our body, which help protect them from damage and friction. Once mesothelioma forms beyond a benign tumor, patients typically live one year or less after diagnosis (asbestos.com). Asbestos exposure is a leading cause of mesothelioma. Asbestos are tiny fibers from common items such as insulation and building materials that stick to the linings of the lungs, heart, and abdomen and cause inflammation and eventually cancer. Mesothelioma is an incredibly slow growing cancer that takes 15-50 years to develop after exposure. Although early symptoms are often benign, advanced stages of the diseases exhibits the following symptoms, persistent dry or raspy cough, coughing up blood, difficulty swallowing, night sweats, fatigue, shortness of breath, and lumps under the skin on the chest (asbestos.com). I recently had a college friend who was diagnosed with the disease in its early form at the age of 20; however, the tumor was removed by surgery, which saved his life. Treatment for mesothelioma is surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, however, treatment is often not effective in the late stages of the disease.
