4 types of cancers that you haven't heard of

These are the cancers you have probably never heard of. Learn about them, check out on symptoms and visit your oncologist to treat them early.

Breast, lung, ovary and skin cancers are pretty common these days. In fact, we do have designated awareness colours for a couple of them like pink for breast and white for lung cancers. However, there still are some of them about which you probably have not heard. Here is a list of very rare cancers that you should know of.

Chordoma: A very rare kind of non-genetic bone cancer, Chordoma is found in one in a million people in a year and the deadly virus is seen to affect either the skull or the spine. It takes long for Chordoma to grow but it grows aggressively. Those suffering from Chordoma could experience headaches, neck pain, double vision, loss of bowel and bladder function and tingling of arms and legs. The alarming part of this kind of cancer is that it does not respond well to chemotherapy, radiations and drugs. Surgery is the one and only option to treat it. However, it has huge risk as the tumours grow on the spine and around vital nerves and it becomes a challenge to remove the entire tumour.

Foot cancer: Linking our foot with cancer is usually beyond our imagination. However, foot cancer has become a recent trend in the carcinogenic world. Due to its rare occurrence, it often goes unnoticed. Any moles, strange sensations, dullness or pain in your feet could be your signs to consult a doctor. Foot cancer can be of various kinds, ranging from bone to vascular, nerve to skin cancer. Out of these, skin cancer is considered to be the most common kind of foot cancer.

Salivary gland cancer: Studies show that less than one in 100,000 lakh people develop this rare form of cancer - salivary gland cancer. If you are experiencing numbness or weakness in the face or a lump in the ear, cheek, jaw or mouth, you should immediately get in touch with an oncologist as these are potential symptoms. If detected early, this cancer has a 5-year survival rate of more than 90%. However, it can be fatal if detected at advanced stage. It usually happens more among men compared to women and has got nothing to do with tobacco or alcohol consumption. It is not even hereditary. Risk of salivary gland cancer increases with increase in exposure to radioactive substances.

Vaginal cancer: The more you age, stranger things occur down there. In fact, the vaginal cells start changing and likely to get cancerous. Squamous cell carcinoma, a kind of skin cancer accounts for a majority, as much as 80% of vaginal cancer, say doctors. It takes time to develop near the cervix and usually strikes post menopause. The tumours resemble small lumps or sores that can be cured by surgery. Adenocarcinoma or sarcoma or melanoma, the other kinds of cancer very rarely develop in vagina.