IARC marks Rare Cancer Day 2022

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is marking Rare Cancer Day by highlighting the burden of disease attributable to rare cancer types and the work IARC researchers are doing to address these tumour types.

Rare cancers are cancer types with fewer than 6 newly diagnosed cases per 100 000 people per year. Individually, none of these cancer types are major causes of disease. However, taken as a whole, rare cancers account for about 25–30% of all cancer diagnoses and 25% of cancer deaths. Despite the high collective occurrence of rare cancers, basic biological and clinical knowledge is lacking.

IARC scientists established the Rare Cancers Genomics Team to focus on the study of rare cancers. Using innovative sequencing technologies that provide information on the molecular characteristics of tumours, they uncover differences among tumours that look similar under a microscope. This enables researchers to identify molecular profiles that may explain differences in overall survival and response to treatment. Molecular profiles have the potential to inform clinical management and treatment strategies for rare cancer types and to improve the understanding of the carcinogenic processes that contribute to the development of these tumours.

Learn more about the Rare Cancers Genomics Team

Watch the video about the Rare Cancers Genomics project

Visit the Rare Cancers Genomics website

Visit the Rare Cancers Genomics Twitter account