Defined as an incidence of fewer than six cases for 100,000 people per year.
One in five cancer is diagnosed as a rare cancer.
Approximately 20% of patients with cancer diagnosed with a rare cancer, and they are more common among Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander populations.
Collectively rare cancers are likely to be diagnosed at later stages and overall survival is poor.
American cancer society data found that 59% of rare cancers are diagnosed at regional or distant stages compared with 45% of common cancers among solid tumors.
Five years relative survival among rare cancers is poorer compared with those diagnosed with a common cancer among both men and women (55% versus 75% and 60% versus 74%, respectively).
Five-year survival is substantially higher for children and adolescents-82%-compared with the 46% survival rate for adults age 65-79.
71% of cancers occurring in children and adolescents are rare compared with less than 20% of cancers diagnosed in patient 65 years and older.