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Appendix cancer is extremely rare — so rare that it does not appear in the American Cancer Society’s 2025 cancer statistics report and is listed by the National Institutes of Health under “rare digestive tumors.” Each year, only about 3,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed. However, recent research shows that appendix cancer is becoming more common across all age groups. Dr. Shanel Bhagwandin, surgical oncologist and Medical Director of the Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology

Vladislav Kovalik, MD, MSPH; Armando Sardi, MD, FACS; Mary Caitlin King, BS; Sergei Iugai, MD; Luis Felipe Falla-Zuniga, MD; Carol Nieroda, MD; and Vadim Gushchin, MD, FACS The Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD Presentation Patterns and Treatment Outcomes in Appendix Cancer Patients Traveling to a High-Volume Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Center. Am Surg. 2025 Nov;91(11):1889-1897. doi: 10.1177/00031348251337155. Epub 2025 May 5. PMID: 4032288

Carlos A Munoz-Zuluaga ,  Mary Caitlin King ,  Panayotis Ledakis ,  Vadim Gushchin ,  Michelle Sittig ,  Carol Nieroda ,  Katherine Zambrano-Vera ,  Armando Sardi Systemic chemotherapy before cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) in patients with high-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei of appendiceal origin . European Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2019 Sep;45(9):1598-1606. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31109821/ Summary: Researche

Ekaterina Baron, Armando Sardi, Mary Caitlin King, Andrei Nikiforchin, Felipe Lopez-Ramirez, Carol Nieroda, Vadim Gushchin, Panayotis...

By Linda McLaughlin New Jersey September 2025 A cancer diagnosis hits you like a ton of bricks. It’s one of those things that happens to...

During August we recognized Appendix Cancer Awareness Month to bring more attention to advanced forms of this cancer. In case you missed...

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A physician may use some or all of these methods to treat appendix cancer . ​ 1️⃣ CRS/HIPEC: studies show a significant increase in...

A physician may use some or all of these evaluation methods to diagnose appendix cancer . ​ 1️⃣ Physical exam 2️⃣ Imaging studies: CT...

Signs and symptoms of appendix cancer can be similar to other conditions and are often non-specific . ​ 1️⃣ Appendicitis: Most cases...

When Sonja Walker went to the hospital in 2008 with what she thought was a simple pain in her side, she never imagined she’d leave with a diagnosis that would change her life: a rare and aggressive form of appendix cancer. Doctors told her she likely had just one year to live. But Sonja refused to give up. With the help of a friend, she connected with Dr. Armando Sardi at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore — one of the nation’s leading experts in cytoreductive surgery (CRS) an

Risk factors for Appendix cancer to be aware of include: ​ Appendix Cancer Risk Factors: 1️⃣ Age: The biggest risk factor is age. Age...

Did you know August is Appendix Cancer Awareness Month? Appendix cancer is rare and often misdiagnosed. Join the Alliance and ACPMP in...

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Helen Szablya was caught off-guard when she received a diagnosis of a rare appendix cancer variant. Facing confusion, fear, and the unknown, she didn’t simply retreat — she chose to step forward. Helen’s journey became about more than treatment. It became a mission: to raise awareness of how this little-known disease shows up, why delayed diagnosis happens, and how patients like her can advocate for better care. She learned the signs weren’t always dramatic — symptoms like ab

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