5 types of cancer you have never heard of

Up to 60 out of 71 cancers are classified as rare.

Breast cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, colon . are diseases you have heard a lot. Some cancers are so common that people assign colors to them. For example, pink represents breast cancer, blue for colon and white for lung cancer.

However, cancer is a very diverse disease. In fact, a study by US scientists indicates that up to 60 out of 71 cancers are classified as rare. They only account for 25% of cancer cases. In that list, there are the 5 rarest cancers you have ever heard.

Cancer in the leg

When there are signs of moles growing or feeling strange, pain in the legs, you are at risk of developing cancer in the legs.

" Nobody thinks of their feet when it comes to cancer, but it's a big mistake ," said Dr. Bryan Markinson of the Medical University of Icahn, New York. Because cancer in the foot is uncommon, people do not pay attention to it.

However, Markinson notes that people should pay attention to abnormal signs in their legs like a growing mole , a strange feeling, pain in the leg. It may be a sign of skin, blood vessels, bones or nerves.

In particular, skin cancer is the most common on our legs. That said, it is still classified as a rare occurrence of only about 10 cases in the US each year, Markinson said.

Skin cancer in the legs is usually melanoma. The rate of these tumors appearing in the legs is 3 to 5%. It is determined to be more related to genetic factors or cancer-causing chemicals, not sunlight.

" If you have a melanoma under your toenails, it carries genetic structures different from melanoma caused by sunlight ," Markinson said.

Vaginal cancer

Vaginal cancer usually occurs after menopause.

As women get older, their vagina cells change and are likely to become cancer. However, the chance for cancer to appear here is very small. And most of them come from squamous cell skin cancer . It develops a lump in the vagina near the cervix and appears after menopause.

Even so, vaginal tumors are relatively small and can be treated with surgery. Radiotherapy may also work to increase the patient's prognosis, according to a study in the Gynecological Oncology journal.

A history of genital warts may increase the risk of vaginal cancer. Doctors advise women to be alert to abnormal stimuli in this area such as bleeding, discharge, pain . They may have to undergo cancer screening procedures when needed.

Salivary gland cancer

Salivary gland cancer is related to the pollution working environment.

Salivary gland cancer accounts for only 3-5% of cases of head and neck cancer. Symptoms include partial facial numbness , tumor growth in the ears, cheeks, chin or inside the mouth.

If detected and treated early, patients will have 90% chance of survival after 5 years. However, the number will slip when salivary gland cancer is found late. Radiotherapy and surgery are two main treatments for this type of cancer. However, a study by Dutch scientists has shown that it is not optimal. Medicine needs to find a new treatment for salivary gland cancer.

Besides, unlike other head and neck cancer, salivary gland cancer is not related to tobacco nor is it genetic. It usually appears in men more and is related to pollution in the work environment.

U skull and spine

The rate of cancer of the skull and spine is very low and is from the time the patient is still in the womb.

A type of bone cancer found in the skull and spine is called raw tumors . The rate for this type of cancer is 1 person per 1 million. Raw tumors develop from the very small remnants of articular cartilage and it is possible that the patient brought it from the womb .

Because very rare, raw tumors are rarely studied, but experts can eliminate the genetic cause of this type of cancer.

These tumors grow slowly but very strongly. It causes headaches, neck, diplopia, loss of bowel function, bladder, tingling itching in the feet and hands. Raw tumors do not respond to chemotherapy, radiation and drugs.

Therefore, surgery is the only method to treat. But it will also be very difficult when tumors grow on the spine or skull. Surrounding them are important nerves. Even if surgery is successful, the recurrence rate of raw tumors is very high.

Neutral cartilage

Neutral cartilage usually occurs in the spine, ribs and jaw.

This cancer is very rare and only less than 1,000 cases have been reported since 1959. Although rare, mesenchymal cartilage is very dangerous and progresses rapidly. It attacks the lymph nodes and spreads to other organs without early detection.

Two-thirds of mesenchymal cartilage occur in the spine, ribs and jaw . The rest are found in muscle and fat tissue . Because the tumor may appear anywhere in the body, it is difficult to identify symptoms. In the early stages, the affected area may be painful. If the tumor is near the spine, the patient will be numb or lose feeling.

Treatment for this type of cancer often involves surgical removal of the tumor and chemotherapy. According to a study in the European Journal of Cancer, combining two treatments reduces the risk of recurrence by half. Meanwhile, surgery only helps reduce about 27%.