Appendiceal cancer is rare, signs are not clear in the early stages

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Appendiceal cancer is a rare disease, often difficult to detect in its early stages due to its unclear symptoms. Usually the disease is detected in the late stages, when there are signs of metastasis. Appendiceal cancer is treatable and the outcome is quite good, the earlier it is detected, the higher the cure rate.

1. Appendiceal Cancer Outline

The appendix is ​​a small, tubular section of intestine that connects to the colon, which is part of the digestive tract. The appendix is ​​usually located in the right iliac fossa, but it can be located in other locations in the abdomen, but less commonly.
Appendiceal cancer is a condition in which the cells inside the appendix grow abnormally without the control of the body, these malignant cells have the ability to invade and spread to other organs in the body. . This is an extremely rare melanoma condition and is often asymptomatic in its early stages. Some appendiceal tumors are benign. Malignant tumors can be invasive and can spread to other organs.
Some types of malignancies of the appendix include:
Nerve tumors : Usually begin at the tip of the appendix and account for more than half of all common malignancies of the appendix. Mucosal cystadenoma: The tumor begins in the mucosa but is malignant in nature and accounts for about 20% of all appendiceal cancers. Colon adenocarcinoma: This type accounts for about 10% of appendiceal malignancies, usually starting at the base of the appendix. Goblet cell carcinoma: This type can spread to other organs but tends to be less invasive than neuroendocrine tumors. Ring cell carcinoma: The rarest and most difficult to treat malignancy, ring cell carcinoma has a rapid growth rate. Paraganglioma: Usually this type of tumor is usually benign. However, in rare cases there is still a small percentage of malignancy in the appendix. Currently, the exact cause of appendicitis is not known. The disease is found in both sexes at an equal rate, the common age at which appendiceal cancer is diagnosed is from 40-59 years old.

2. Signs of appendiceal cancer

Most cases show no signs in the early stages. Some cases, due to the influence of the tumor, cause non-specific symptoms such as:
Abdominal pain, intermittent pain, pain may be felt in the right iliac fossa. Bloating, loss of appetite, feeling full quickly after eating a small amount of food. Gastrointestinal disorders: Nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhea May present as an inguinal hernia but is more common in men. Possible manifestations include: Abnormal mass in the groin area, usually painless, only mild pain, can move upward at rest... Expression of an appendicitis, caused by the tumor obstructing The fluid circulation leads to intestinal bacteria getting trapped and overgrown inside the appendix, causing appendicitis. Many cases of appendicitis have the first symptom of acute appendicitis. Symptoms such as: Abdominal pain: First pain around the navel, then localized in the right iliac fossa, pain in episodes. Nausea and vomiting. Constipation and defecation, abdominal distension, discomfort. Fever: May have a mild fever, if broken, cause a high fever. Abdominal wall spasm, right iliac fossa point is painful. Sometimes the tumor is large enough to compress and cause intestinal obstruction or an abnormal mass is palpable. Other signs: Because cancer cells may develop in other abdominal organs and the lining of the abdominal cavity. Like liver, spleen, ovary, uterus... Causes manifestations in that organ.

3. Prognosis of appendiceal cancer

Usually, it is found that appendiceal cancer has not spread to organs outside the abdominal cavity except in the case of ring cell carcinoma. So the prognosis is usually quite good, especially the cases detected early.
In general, survival rates for patients with appendicitis vary depending on the tumor type, size, and metastasis.
Statistically, the estimated 5-year survival rate for neuroendocrine tumors of the appendix is ​​approximately:
The rate is almost 100% if the tumor is < 3 cm and has not spread. About 78% if the tumor is < 3cm and has spread to regional lymph nodes. About 78% if the tumor is larger than 3cm, but has not spread to other parts of the body. About 32% if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. If caught early, the chances of a cure are high, but many cases of appendicitis are usually diagnosed after surgery for appendicitis and a biopsy or when the tumor has spread to other organs causing symptoms. forward.
It is difficult to identify appendiceal cancer by imaging such as ultrasound, MRI or CT scan. Therefore, the gold standard for diagnosis is to perform a biopsy after appendectomy.
Appendiceal cancer is a very rare disease, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Disease manifestations are often difficult to detect, so to rule out appendicitis, a biopsy should be performed after appendectomy in appendicitis.

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