These are the 5 deadliest types of cancer

(CNN, Spanish) — World Cancer Day is celebrated on February 4th every year.

What are the five deadliest cancers in the world? Here are some of its characteristics and symptoms according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

1. Lung cancer

According to WHO, 1.8 million people died from lung cancer in 2020. The most common cause is cigarette use, which accounts for about 90% of deaths due to this disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States alone, or nearly one in five deaths.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), men who smoke are 25 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers, and women are 25.7 times more likely to develop lung cancer.

Symptoms

This type of cancer has few symptoms in the early stages.

However, later the disease manifests itself:

• frequent cough
• chest pain
• labored breathing
• wheezing
• repeated episodes of pneumonia or bronchitis
• hoarseness
• cough with excess mucus and bloody or rusty sputum

One way to prevent this cancer is to avoid smoking or second-hand smoke.

2. Colorectal cancer

According to the WHO, colorectal cancer affects the lower digestive system, colon and rectum and killed 935,000 people in 2020.

Tumors can develop anywhere in the colon or rectum.

If colorectal cancer cells spread beyond the colon or rectum, they often travel to nearby lymph nodes (sometimes called lymph nodes).

Colorectal cancer can also spread to other parts of the body, especially the liver, and sometimes to the lungs, bones and other organs.

Symptoms

Symptoms of colorectal cancer include:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• A feeling that the bowels are not completely emptied
• Blood in the stool
• Frequent gas pains or cramps
• Weight loss for an unknown reason
• Fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting.

The risk of developing colorectal cancer is closely related to family history. Compared to the general population, people with a family history of colorectal cancer are at approximately twice the risk of developing the disease.

Most colorectal cancer patients over 50 years of age are diagnosed in the early stages of the disease.

But a 2019 American Cancer Society study found that the majority of younger patients and survivors (71%) said they were diagnosed with advanced stages 3 and 4.

In 2018, the American Cancer Society updated its recommendations for colorectal cancer screening, recommending that adults at average risk get screened starting at age 45, rather than age 50 as previously recommended. Screening options can range from getting a high-sensitivity stool test every year to getting a colonoscopy every 10 years.

Colorectal cancer is highly treatable if detected early. Tests can detect precancerous growths and remove them. Treatment for this type of cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

3. Liver cancer

According to WHO, this type of cancer caused 830,000 deaths worldwide in 2020.

The liver is also susceptible to cancers of other organs that metastasize or spread, especially colorectal cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, the “best option” for treating liver cancer is to remove the cancerous tumor with surgery or a liver transplant, and smaller liver cancers can also be treated with other treatments, such as ablation or radiation therapy.

Symptoms

Among the symptoms:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue
• Feeling full after a small meal
• Lack of appetite
• Constant abdominal pain
• Swelling of the stomach area
• Yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
• A mass that can be felt in the liver

Treatments for liver cancer include surgery, ablation, embolization therapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy, among others.

4. Stomach cancer

Stomach cancer occurs when cancer cells form in the lining of the stomach. In 2020, 769,000 people died from this type of cancer worldwide.

“Risk factors include smoking, infection with the bacteria H. pylori, and some inherited diseases,” says the National Cancer Institute.

According to the American Cancer Society (ASC), there are several types of stomach cancer that tend to develop over several years. He points out that before the formation of real cancer, “precancerous” changes are often recorded in the gastric mucosa.

Because stomach cancers can develop in different parts of the organ, the location of the cancer cells can lead to differences in treatment options.

Symptoms

According to the American Cancer Society, symptoms include:

• Lack of appetite
• Losing weight (without effort)
• Abdominal (stomach) pain
• Vague abdominal discomfort, usually above the navel.
• Feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen after a small meal.
• Heartburn or indigestion
• Nausea
• Vomiting with or without blood
• Swelling or fluid accumulation in the abdomen
• Blood in the stool
• Low red blood cell count (anemia)

5. Breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common type among women in 154 of 185 countries, according to a 2018 study by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer.

According to WHO, it accounts for 15% of all cancer cases in women.

According to the organization, there were 685,000 deaths from this type of cancer in 2020.

Approximately one in four new cases of cancer diagnosed in women worldwide occurs in the breast.

If detected early, breast cancer can be a manageable disease. But it remains the leading cause of cancer death in women, followed by lung, colorectal and cervical cancer.

Survival rates for breast cancer range from 80% in North America to less than 40% in low-income countries. This is mainly due to the lack of screening programs.

Breast cancer is less common in men than in women.

According to a study by the American Cancer Society, the absolute risk of developing cancer for men is 1 in 833, and for women it is 1 in 8.

However, although this condition is rare in men, statistics show that it is on the rise. The Society estimates that there were 2,670 new cases and nearly 500 deaths among men in 2019. In 1991, there were only 900 cases of invasive breast cancer in men.

Symptoms

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some warning signs of breast cancer include:

• New lump in the breast or under the armpit (under the armpit)
• Increased thickness or swelling of part of the breast.
• Irritation or depression on the skin of the chest.
• Redness or peeling in the nipple or breast area.
• The nipple droops or hurts in this area.
• Nipple discharge other than milk, including blood
• Any change in breast size or shape.
• Pain in any part of the chest