Cancer is the second most common cause of death in Poles after heart disease. The report “Health at a Glance 2021” shows that in our country the number of deaths from malignant neoplasms is one of the highest in OECD countries and amounts to 228 per 100 thousand. inhabitants, with an average of 191 deaths per 100 thousand. Of course, there are cancers that we can detect and treat efficiently, but there are also cancers with which we cope poorly. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a ranking of the 10 most deadly cancers. We check which of them still pose the greatest threat to our health and life.
- World statistics say that in 2020 the most people died from three types of cancer. They were: lung cancer (1,8 million deaths), colorectal cancer (935 thousand deaths) and liver cancer (830 thousand deaths)
- On the other hand, the data of the National Cancer Registry (January 2021) shows that almost 170 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Poland. people, and about 100 thousand die.
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The American Cancer Society (ACS) experts who compiled the ranking say that the cancers that have taken the greatest toll in the world are not the most malignant ones. To figure out why, we need data such as the number of patients (called cancer incidence) and the percentage of people diagnosed with cancer that survive (called survival). The most deadly neoplasms will be those with the lowest survival rate.
– Survival is determined by the so-called 5-year survival rate. This is the percentage of people who live with cancer more than five years after diagnosis, which is the period in which most treatment failures are observed, explains Rebeka Siegel from ASC. “The survival rate in this assessment does not include deaths from causes other than cancer,” he adds.
Here are the 10 deadliest cancers in the US
The list was based on data collected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In parentheses there is a 5-year survival rate for cases diagnosed in 2011-2017.
1. Pancreatic cancer (survival rate 10,8%)
The most malignant cancer that kills nearly 90 percent within five years. sick. The pancreas is an organ that produces hormones that regulate the work of many tissues and organs (mainly insulin and glucagon) and digestive enzymes. All cancers of the digestive system are characterized by high mortality, less than half of the patients survive five years. Against this background, pancreatic cancer has the highest death rate. Most pancreatic cancers are exocrine cancers, formed in cells that produce digestive enzymes. If the cancer affects the pancreatic endocrine cells, i.e. the hormone-producing cells, we are known as pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) or pancreatic islet cell tumors. NET accounts for about 2 percent. cases of pancreatic cancer and have a much better prognosis.
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Unfortunately, we do not have any reliable screening tests for pancreatic cancer. People at increased risk should regularly undergo ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are very troublesome, including: abdominal pain, blockage of the bile ducts, bleeding, ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity).
Depending on the stage, it can be treated with surgery, radio- or chemotherapy. Radiation is used to shrink tumors that cannot be removed. In contrast, surgery is only possible in 10 to 20 percent. sick. Immunotherapy is also used to stimulate the immune system to attack cancer, or targeted therapies (drugs that target molecules specific to cancer cells).
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2. Mesothelioma (survival rate 11,5%)
The second place is occupied by a relatively unknown mesothelioma, or mesothelioma. The mesothelium (mesothelium) is the lining of the three body cavities: the pleura (chest cavity), the peritoneum (abdominal cavity), and the pericardium (heart sac). Mesothelial tissue is also found in the male and female internal reproductive organs. Its job is to produce the lubricating fluid that allows organs to move – heartbeat, lung expansion and bowel activity.
Mesothelioma (mesothelioma) is a rare cancer. Three of the four types of mesotheliomas develop in the mesothelium surrounding the pleura. This type of cancer is called pleural mesothelioma. The next most common type of mesothelioma forms in the peritoneum (peritoneal mesothelioma). Mesothelioma is very rare in the tissues surrounding the heart and testes.
The main cause of malignant pleural mesotheliomas is exposure to asbestos, a mineral fiber once commonly used for isolation. It can also contribute to the development of peritoneal mesothelioma. Other risk factors are: SV40 virus infection, contact with mineral fibers, such as erionite, genetic predisposition and ionizing radiation. The mesoteliomy incubation period is about 20 – 40 years.
The early symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are generally non-specific, which can lead to delayed diagnosis. Sometimes they resemble viral pneumonia. Patients may complain of shortness of breath, chest pain or a persistent cough. Some people have no symptoms. In contrast, symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include abdominal pain or swelling, weight loss, intestinal obstruction, anemia, or swelling of the feet.
Treatment depends on the stage of its advancement and may include surgery (pneumonectomy – surgery to remove the cancerous tissue along with the lung), chemotherapy, radiotherapy (brachytherapy – a type of radiation therapy consisting in delivering an ionizing radiation source directly to the tumor), targeted therapies, dynamic phototherapy (PTD) and immunotherapies.
3. Gallbladder cancer (survival 19,4%)
In the case of the third place in the ranking, about 80 percent are already five years old. sick. The gallbladder is located under the liver and its job is to collect and store bile, a digestive aid produced by the liver. The risk of developing gallbladder cancer is significantly increased by gallstones, i.e. small, hard deposits of cholesterol and other materials that are formed in the gallbladder (it accompanies cancer of this organ in about 80% of cases) and age (most often occurs after the age of 50). ).
The symptoms are non-specific and therefore often underestimated. The most common is a dull pain under the right rib, radiating to the right into the spine and interscapular region. Jaundice and itching occur in about 30-60 percent. patients and indicate a significant advancement of the tumor. Less common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and weight loss.
Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer at diagnosis. It includes surgery (unfortunately most gallbladder tumors are inoperable), chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Patients may also consider participating in clinical trials of immunotherapy and targeted therapies.
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4. Esophageal cancer (survival 19,9%)
The esophagus is the organ that connects the throat to the stomach. It is about 25 cm long and has the shape of an elongated tube. Its main function is to transport swallowed food to the stomach.
The most common men who develop esophageal cancer are older men who are addicted to smoking and / or drinking alcohol. Also a risk factor is acid reflux, where stomach acid flows into the lower esophagus.
This cancer is asymptomatic for a long time. Ailments appear when the esophagus is narrowed, making it difficult to swallow (first solid food, then liquid food). The most common symptoms are difficulty swallowing solid food (dysphagia), weight loss, and pain when swallowing bites of food (odynophagia). Dyspnea, cough, hoarseness and pain behind the breastbone are less common.
Treatment depends on the stage of the tumor. It may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapies.
5. Cancer of the liver and intrahepatic bile ducts (survival rate 20,3%)
Liver cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer worldwide. In the USA, the incidence of liver cancer has more than tripled since the 80s.
The most important risk factor in this case is chronic hepatitis B or C. Both of these infections are transmitted through body fluids, including blood and semen. Vaccination of children against hepatitis B virus has an excellent prophylactic effect. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a vaccine against hepatitis C.
In the initial stage, the neoplasm is usually asymptomatic. Over time, when the tumor obstructs the lumen of the bile ducts, the following may occur: jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin, dark urine and white stools), weight loss, pain under the right rib, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting ( patients gradually exclude certain foods, often without being able to state the reasons for this exclusion), fever, fatigue.
Treatment – surgery, chemotherapy supplementing surgical treatment (capecitabine is used). Molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapy are still under discussion.
A cancer closely related to liver cancer is cancer of the intrahepatic bile duct, which occurs in the ducts that carry bile from the liver and gall bladder to the small intestine.
Surgical resection is the only curative treatment method for cancer of the intrahepatic ducts.
6. Lung and bronchial cancer (survival rate 21,7%)
Lung and bronchial cancer kill the most people in the world every year. It is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, after prostate cancer, and the second, after breast cancer, in women. In Poland, it is the most common cause of cancer deaths, both among men and women. Experts from the European Cancer Information System (ECIS) forecasted the mortality rate from lung cancer in our country for 2020 at 18,6 percent, respectively. among women and 27,0 percent in men.
According to the NCI, smoking and the use of tobacco products are the main causes of this cancer. There are two main types of lung and bronchial cancer: the most common – non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, which spreads the fastest.
This cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. The measure of difficulties in early diagnosis is the percentage of patients treated surgically, in Poland it is approx. 10%. The most common symptoms are: cough (occurs in 80% of patients), recurrent inflammation (in 40% of patients), shortness of breath (in 15%) and chest pain (in 15%). In about 20 – 50 percent patients suffer from hemoptysis.
Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and, for non-small cell lung cancer, targeted therapies.
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7. Pleural cancer (22% survival rate)
Pleural cancer occurs in the pleural cavity, which is the space inside the chest, but outside the lungs, or in the layer of cells surrounding the lungs. Pleural cancer is also a different type of cancer than pleural mesothelioma, so it has separate statistics.
Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.
8. Acute monocytic leukemia (survival rate 24,8%)
Acute monocytic leukemia (M5) is a subtype of leukemia called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that affects the cells in the bone marrow. In monocytic leukemia, the cancer affects monocytes (a type of leukocytes, or white blood cells). It develops in the blood precursor cells that give rise to cells of the immune system called monocytes. Monocytes are the largest blood cells and their main task is to regulate the work of the immune system.
Symptoms of monocytic leukemia are: nosebleeds, bleeding gums, frequent infections and inflammation, paleness, shortness of breath, weakness, weight loss, menstrual problems, fever. In the advanced stage there are: enlarged lymph nodes, spleen, hematuria, rash, bone pain.
Treatment may include chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, or targeted therapies.
9. Malignant tumor of the brain (survival rate 29,4%)
In adults, brain tumors rarely start in this organ. They are more often metastatic of tumors that have developed elsewhere. These types of brain tumors are classified according to where they come from. If someone dies of cancer that was primarily in the lung and metastasized to the brain, that person’s case will be recorded in the lung cancer statistics, not brain cancer.
In children, however, most brain tumors start in the brain. Risk factors include similar family history and the radiation exposure of the head that usually occurs with other cancer treatments.
Malignant tumors of the brain and other parts of the central nervous system in Poland suffer from approx. 2 thousand. 900 people a year. The majority (70-80%) are gliomas.
The symptoms of CNS neoplasms depend on the location and nature of the tumor. Neurological symptoms result from the growth of the tumor. These can include: personality disorders, impaired consciousness, paralysis or paresis, aphasia (impaired language functions), ataxia (impaired motor coordination). Hormonal disturbances, loss of sense of smell or seizures may occur. The second group of symptoms results from increased intracranial pressure and includes: headache (generalized or behind the eyes, sometimes in the morning, waking up from sleep), morning nausea and vomiting, and visual disturbances.
Treatment for brain tumors depends on the type of tumor and the extent to which the tumor has grown until it is diagnosed. It may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapies.
10. Acute myeloid leukemia – AML (survival rate 29,5%)
Leukemias start in bone marrow stem cells, which later differentiate into precursors to blood cells and eventually into blood cells, stopping their growth. They are classified according to the stage at which blood cells and precursors stop growing and become cancerous. Acute myeloid leukemia refers to a cancer that develops in myeloid cells (as opposed to lymphoid cells), which are blood precursor cells with the potential to develop into red blood cells, certain types of white blood cells, and platelets.
In AML, the stem cells, instead of growing into blood cells, become stuck in an immature stage. Such cells are called blasts. There are no or very few blast cells in healthy blood. Having too many blasts and too few healthy blood cells causes many symptoms of AML, including weakened immunity causing infections, bruising, bleeding gums and nose, weakness, reduced exercise tolerance, impaired concentration, shortness of breath, pallor, increased heart rate, retrosternal pain .
Adults suffer from AML most often, it accounts for approx. 80%. acute leukemias in adults and only about 15 percent. in children. The causes of the disease have not been fully understood, although smoking, prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy for other cancers, or exposure to benzene all increase the risk of developing the disease.
Treatment options include chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, or targeted therapies.
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