Rare cancer on the rise in younger patients; survivor shares warning

TAMPA, Fla. - August marks Appendiceal Cancer Awareness Month. It's a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer with only 3,000 patients in the U.S. diagnosed annually. 

It's also a difficult form of cancer to detect, because there's no screening process to help diagnose it. Symptoms often don’t appear until the disease has progressed, and even then, they can mimic other conditions.

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Dig deeper:

Dr. Sean Dineen, a surgical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, said it’s appearing more often in patients under 40 years old, despite being historically found in those over 60.

"Sometimes it can be found incidentally after an appendectomy and sometimes those don't need further treatment," Dineen said. "But sometimes, it can present after a significant tumor has grown in the abdomen."

Local perspective:

Tatiana, a wife and mother of four, spent years battling unexplained bloating and nausea. Despite exercising regularly and being otherwise fit, her abdomen remained distended.

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"I constantly looked like I was several months pregnant," she said. "Although my arms and legs were toned, my mid-section, my abdomen was always protruding."

For five to six years, doctors dismissed her symptoms — until a planned hernia surgery revealed Stage 4 appendiceal cancer.

Her fight required a 14-hour procedure known as CRS with HIPEC — an aggressive surgery that removes visible tumors and bathes the abdominal cavity in heated chemotherapy. 

"I had my gallbladder removed, my spleen, a large portion of my large intestine, I think the connective small intestine, my appendix, my ovaries, cervix, uterus, my belly button, I think about 30 or 40 lymph nodes," she said. 

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What they're saying:

Recovery was long and challenging, but now, two years later, she is cancer-free.

"My advice to anyone is that if there's an inkling in your mind that this is not normal, something is wrong..." she said. 

"You have to, against all odds, seek the best treatment," she continued.