The fear associated with a cancer diagnosis is rooted in its deadly nature. This disease is the second leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. Even with quick diagnosis and treatment, this disease can still cause death; some types are more deadly. If you want to know more about the world’s deadliest cancers and how to prevent them, continue reading the article.
What factors determine the lethality of cancer?
To determine the lethality of cancer, in addition to the number of people who die from cancer every year, two other factors must also be taken into account; How many people get infected with it and what percentage of infected people survive. The deadliest cancers are those with the lowest survival rates. Researchers measure survival with a scale called 5-year relative survival. This number indicates the number of people expected to survive five years after diagnosis despite the effects of a specific type of cancer. Of course, this scale does not measure the probability of death from other factors.
The deadliest cancers
In the following, we introduce some deadly cancers with the highest mortality rate before five years. Of course, this statistic does not mean that these cancers have the highest mortality rate globally but have the lowest chance of survival if infected.
1. Pancreatic cancer
The 5-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer is 11.5%. This disease starts in the tissue of the pancreas, which is responsible for digesting food. Gastrointestinal cancers are generally fatal, with less than half of patients surviving five years, but pancreatic cancer is the deadliest. Most pancreatic cancers are exogenous, which start in the cells that produce digestive enzymes. More rarely, cancer develops in endocrine cells that make hormones such as insulin. These cancers comprise 7% of all pancreatic cancers and have a much better prognosis.
Pancreatic cancer is aggressive and usually has rapid death and painful symptoms, including:
- stomach ache;
- Gallbladder obstruction ;
- bleeding;
- Fluid accumulation in the abdomen.
Pancreatic cancer may be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, depending on the extent of its spread. Other treatments include immunotherapy (which stimulates the immune system to attack cancer) and targeted therapies (i.e., drugs that target specific molecules in cancer cells).
2. Mesothelioma cancer
The mesothelium is a layer of cells that covers the inside of some body cavities and surrounds the internal organs. Mesothelioma is a cancer of these cells. 3 out of 4 mesothelioma cases develop in the mesothelioma tissue surrounding the lungs (pleura or pleura). This cancer is called pleural mesothelioma.
The second most common type of this disease occurs in the peritoneum, the tissue surrounding the abdomen, and abdominal organs such as the stomach and liver. This type of cancer is called “peritoneal mesothelioma.” Mesothelioma rarely develops in the tissue that lines the heart or testicles. Exposure to asbestos or fireproof cotton used for insulation is the leading cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma and may also cause peritoneal mesothelioma.
The treatment of this cancer depends on its progress and includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. The 5-year survival rate of mesothelioma is 12%.
3. Gallbladder cancer
This digestive cancer starts in the gallbladder below the liver, producing and storing bile. This liquid makes the digestion of food more accessible. Gallstones, which accumulate small and hard particles of cholesterol and other substances, significantly increase the risk of gallbladder cancer. This complication has a 5-year survival rate of 19.4%.
4. Esophageal cancer
The esophagus is a muscular tube that moves food from the throat to the stomach. The underlying factors of esophageal cancer are old age, being male, smoking, drinking alcohol, and gastroesophageal reflux. The 5-year survival rate in esophageal cancer patients is 20.6%. The treatment of this disease depends on its progress and may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
5. Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer
Liver cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. The leading cause of liver cancer is chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection. These infections are transmitted through bodily fluids, including blood and semen. The CDC recommends that all children receive the hepatitis B vaccine, but there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Intrahepatic bile duct cancer also develops in the duct that carries bile from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine. The 5-year survival rate of this cancer is 20.8%.
6. Lung and trachea cancer
Lung cancer has the highest annual mortality rate in the world, and its 5-year survival rate is 22.9%. Smoking and using tobacco products are the leading causes of this cancer. This cancer has two main types: non-small cell cancer, the most common type, and small cell cancer, which spreads more quickly. The best way to prepare for treating this cancer in people who smoke is to quit smoking.
7. side pit cancer
Pleural cancer occurs in the pleural cavity, a space in the chest outside the lungs. Pleural mesothelioma, which we mentioned before, is included in the category of mesothelioma, which means that cases of pleural mesothelioma are not counted among the pleural cavity cancer statistics. Not all breast cancers develop in mesothelioma cells. Many non-mesothelioma breast cancers occur in unknown tissues, meaning doctors aren’t sure what tissue or cells are involved. The 5-year survival rate of breast cancer patients is 22%, and surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are used for its treatment.
8. Acute monocytic leukemia
Acute monocytic leukemia is a subset of a type of leukemia called acute myeloid leukemia. This complication occurs in blood stem cells transforming into monocyte immune cells. Monocytes are an essential part of the non-specific immune system. (A branch of the immune system that does not make antibodies but recognizes standard features of pathogens and quickly attacks them.) Treatment for this cancer includes chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, and targeted therapy. Affected people have a 24.8% chance of survival in 5 years.
9. Brain cancer
In adults, brain tumors rarely start in the brain. Most of the time, these tumors spread from other cancers. Of course, brain cancers caused by cancers with different origins are not included in brain cancer survival statistics because they are included in the category of their head. For example, if a person dies from cancer that started in the lung and metastasized to the brain, his case affects the survival statistics of lung cancer, not brain cancer.
In children, most brain tumors start in the brain. The only underlying factors of brain tumors are family history and receiving radiation from the head. Radiation exposure usually occurs as a result of another cancer treatment. Brain tumor treatment also depends on the type of tumor and its growth until diagnosis and may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. The 5-year survival rate for patients with this cancer is 32.5%.
Which cancers have the highest mortality rate?
After heart disease, cancer is America’s second leading cause of death. The following cancers account for the most annual deaths.
1. Lung cancer
Lung cancer causes 131,880 deaths annually and is one of the deadliest cancers. This disease is diagnosed late in most people, which increases the possibility of their death due to the disease. Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Symptoms of lung cancer include:
- persistent cough ;
- Hemoptysis;
- chest pain ;
- hoarseness;
- severe shortness of breath ;
- Recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis.
Of course, these symptoms do not appear until the final stages of cancer.
2. Colon and rectal cancer
In the beginning, colon and rectal cancer has little or no symptoms. This disease can be treated early and has an excellent 5-year survival rate if diagnosed early. The survival rate of people whose condition is analyzed in the early stages is about 90%. The 5-year survival rate for advanced colon and rectal cancer is much lower.
Colon cancer symptoms include:
- rectal bleeding;
- blood in the stool;
- Change in stool pattern or stool shape (stool becomes narrower);
- The feeling of not completely emptying the bowels;
- Abdominal pain or cramping;
- loss of appetite ;
- weight loss ;
- Weakness and bruises.
A colonoscopy can lead to diagnosing and treating colon cancer in the early stages. To perform a colonoscopy, a small camera with a flexible tube is sent into the colon, and the doctor can look for signs of cancer this way. Small and early cancers are removed during a colonoscopy. Larger tumors usually require surgery. Sometimes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy shrink tumors and prevent their spread.
3. Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is caused by the cancerous cells of the breast ducts. About 1% of all breast cancer cases belong to men. It usually takes a long time for the cells to become wholly malignant and invade other body tissues. There are various treatments for this cancer. Surgery can be total (mastectomy or mastectomy) or with an attempt to preserve breast tissue (lumpectomy). In addition, this disease is also treated with these methods:
- radiation therapy that kills cancer cells using protons or X-rays;
- Chemotherapy;
- hormone therapy that slows or stops the growth of tumors that are affected by hormones such as estrogen;
- biological treatments that treat cancer by using the person’s immune system;
- Targeted therapies to kill specific cancer cells or stop their growth.
4. Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer is the most deadly cancer for sufferers, killing 48,220 people yearly. This aggressive cancer does not have a definitive screening method. People more susceptible to the disease should have regular ultrasounds, MRIs, or CT scans.
People with this type of cancer usually need surgery and chemotherapy. If the cancerous tumor cannot be removed, radiation therapy can also be used to shrink the tumor. Of course, not all doctors agree with this method. Surgery to treat pancreatic cancer is only possible in 10-20% of cases.
5. Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a gland located in the middle of the lower part of the pelvis between the anus and the bladder and produces a liquid responsible for feeding the sperm. Prostate cancer starts in a gland, classified as adenocarcinoma, and is more common in older men or people with a family history of the disease.
Most prostate cancers grow slowly. People with this type of cancer may not have symptoms at first. For this reason, doctors usually wait and observe the course of the disease to treat it. Most people with this type of cancer die from other causes, such as heart attack or stroke.
Prostate cancer treatments include:
- Prostatectomy is the surgical removal of all or parts of the prostate;
- Radiation therapy with external radiation method;
- Brachytherapy involves placing radioactive ions into the prostate to treat cancer.
Ten ways to prevent the deadliest cancers
It is good to know that only 5 to 10% of all cancers are caused by genetic factors, and 90 to 95% result from environmental and lifestyle factors. These lifestyle changes can help prevent cancer:
- Quit smoking and tobacco.
- We improve nutrition by adding fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
- Reduce consumption of processed foods.
- They are not consuming alcohol.
- Treatment of obesity.
- Increased activity.
- Protect the skin by using sunscreen and avoiding solarium.
- Participate in age-appropriate screenings.
- We are reducing contact with environmental pollution.
- Getting HPV and hepatitis B vaccine.
final word
Cancer is one of the scariest and deadliest diseases in the world, making it normal to worry about its death rate. The most important thing about cancer treatment is early diagnosis, so you should not forget the importance of screenings. Also, small lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.
Warning! This article is only for educational purposes; to use it, it is necessary to consult a doctor or specialist.
