Pancreas, lung, appendix… “Dazzling” or rather “aggressive” cancers considerably reduce life expectancy.
Lightning cancer is a disease that occurs spreads very quickly. Certain tumors like to the pancreas, breast, brain or lung are of rapid evolution. What is it concretely? What are the warning symptoms of the disease? How long does it take aggressive or incurable ? What is the life expectancy?
What is devastating cancer?
Although we sometimes speak of “lightning” cancer, this term is not actually used by doctors. Rather, they talk about “aggressive” cancer. “Certain cancers have a significant potential for aggression. They have a significant risk of progression to death or relapse in percentage and a rapid development time” informs Professor Anthony Gonçalves, medical oncologist responsible for the metastatic breast cancer program at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute in Marseille. “The aggressiveness of a cancer lies essentially in its capacity to cause distant locations or metastases” he explains.
What is the life expectancy in the event of devastating cancer?
“Aggressive cancers are cancers that have a greater potential for death than less aggressive cancers, and a risk of death within a short period of time” informs Professor Gonçalves. However “this does not mean that we cannot cure certain aggressive cancers, including inflammatory breast cancers” specifies this oncologist.
What are the most devastating cancers?
The notion of devastating or rather aggressive cancer can be associated with the almost all locations. It is not specific to a particular organ or tissue category. “There are so-called aggressive breast cancers because they present immediately with metastases or relapse in the form of metastases. These aggressive breast cancers represent 10 to 20% of cases of breast cancer. Among these, THE inflammatory breast cancer has significant aggressive potential. It represents 3 to 4% of breast cancers. Another more aggressive form of breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer. These two types of breast cancer have a greater potential for death and relapse than other forms of breast cancer. describes Professor Anthony Gonçalves.
“Pancreatic cancers are all considered aggressive.”
“Pancreatic cancers are all considered aggressive” adds the specialist. THE anaplastic thyroid cancer is also one of these aggressive cancers. “However, this aggressive character is relative,” indicates Professor Gonçalves. “It depends on the therapeutic possibilities of the moment.” And to recall the case of testicular cancer, cancer which before the 1980s was fatal in 90% of cases when there was a relapse and which, since the emergence of very effective chemotherapy in the 1980s, has gone from “lightning” cancer to one of the most common cancers. more curable, even at a metastatic stage. This is also the case for melanomasvery aggressive skin cancers when diagnosed at an advanced stage, and for which the appearance of innovative treatments has completely changed the situation in a metastatic situation (from a survival of less than 12 months we have gone to almost 50 % survival at 5 years).
What symptoms?
The symptoms of aggressive cancer depend on the type of cancer but are similar to less aggressive forms of cancer.
Causes and risk factors
The causes of the appearance of aggressive cancer are still poorly understood by scientists. According to several studies, aggressive forms of cancer could be due to genetic mutations that induce resistance to treatments, or to the reactivation of normally inactive genes causing rapid development of cancer cells. “There would be a context of genetic fragility plus environmental exposure plus chance that comes into play” indicates Professor Anthony Gonçalves.
Diagnosis of devastating cancer
The aggressiveness of a cancer can be determined at the time of diagnosis, after carrying out tests. Symptoms may be different in certain aggressive types of cancer, for example in inflammatory breast cancer. “On clinical examination, the breast has an inflammatory presentation : it is red, hot, sometimes painful, with an “orange peel” appearance and the progression was rapid, in less than 6 months in general. describes Professor Anthony Gonçalves. A biopsy helps confirm the diagnosis and identify the type of tumor. Depending on the nature and arrangement of the cancer cells, the doctor can estimate the risks of cancer spreading.
Can we treat devastating cancer?
Treatments for aggressive cancer do not necessarily differ from treatment for less aggressive cancers. “There may be aggressive treatments, such as chemotherapy before radical surgery (mastectomy) in the case of inflammatory breast cancer for example, but aggressive cancers can also be treated with treatments that are ultimately not very aggressive, such as certain targeted therapies.” informs Professor Gonçalves.