Symptoms of anal cancer include bleeding from the rectum or anus, pain or pressure in the region surrounding the anus, an itching or discharge from the anus, a lump in the region, and a change in bowel habits may indicate anal cancer. Other conditions may also cause these symptoms, so it is important to check with your physician if you have any of these symptoms.
Anal Cancer
A rare disease, anal cancer accounts for less than 6,000 cases a year in the U.S., although its incidence appears to be increasing each year.
Anal cancer occurs when malignant tumors develop at the opening end of the rectum. Benign, or noncancerous, tumors can also later develop into anal cancer. While no one knows its cause, doctors believe a genetic mutation leads to anal cancer.
Caught early, this cancer can be cured; however, once it spreads to other organs, the five-year survival rate drops to 20%. Treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgical removal of the cancer.
If you are older than 50, have multiple sexual partners, smoke cigarettes or have the human papillomavirus (HPV), you are at greater risk of developing this cancer. You are also at greater risk if you take immunosuppressive drugs like those taken after an organ transplant. Visit your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms: anal itching, bleeding in the anus or rectum, and pain near the anus.
Recently Answered
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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answeredYour physician will perform a physical examination and take a full medical history. He or she will do a digital rectal examination to check for lumps or anything unusual by inserting a lubricated, gloved finger into the lower part of the rectum. Your physician may also use an anoscope or proctoscope – both are short, lighted tubes – to examine the anus and lower rectum, and perform an endoanal or endorectal ultrasound. This test uses sound waves emitted by a probe, or transducer, which is inserted into the rectum and bounces sound waves off tissues to produce an image on a screen. A colonoscopy may be performed to evaluate the rest of the colon. Finally, your doctor may take a biopsy to check for cancer if an area appears abnormal. -
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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered
The treatment for anorectal cancer will depend on the stage of cancer, and may involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or surgery. Chemotherapy and radiation are generally the first line of treatment for anal cancers.
- Radiation may be administered externally, or internally using radioactive seeds or catheters placed in or near the cancer.
- Chemotherapy is often administered with radiation.
- Surgery for small, contained cancer or cancer in the lower part of the bowel is usually done as a local resection, in which diseased tissue is removed along with some surrounding healthy tissue. This procedure can preserve sphincter muscles.
For more extensive cancer, a resection is performed, in which the anus, rectum, part of the lower colon, and lymph nodes are removed through an incision made in the abdomen. The surgeon then attaches the end of the intestine to an opening, called a stoma, which he or she makes in the abdomen, where stool collects in a bag attached to the outside of the abdomen. -
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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answeredAnorectal cancer is characterized by the growth of cancerous cells in the tissues of the anus.
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NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answeredIndividuals infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) and anal or genital warts are at an increased risk of developing anal cancer. Chronic suppression of the immune system from infection of HIV/AIDS or the use of transplantation drugs such as cyclosporine for kidney transplant; anal intercourse or multiple sex partners also increase the risk. Tobacco use is a strong risk factor for anal cancer, as is being over age 50. Frequent anal soreness, redness, and inflammation, or having anal fissures increases the risk as well.
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Riverside Cancer Care Center answeredA doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:
Bleeding from the anus or rectum. Pain or pressure in the area around the anus. Itching or discharge from the anus. A lump near the anus. A change in bowel habits.
This answer is based on source information from the National Cancer Institute. -
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Riverside Cancer Care Center answered
The following tests and procedures may be used to test for anal cancer:
- Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of the patient's health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.
- Digital rectal examination (DRE): An exam of the anus and rectum. The doctor or nurse inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the lower part of the rectum to feel for lumps or anything else that seems unusual.
- Anoscopy: An exam of the anus and lower rectum using a short, lighted tube called an anoscope.
- Proctoscopy: An exam of the rectum using a short, lighted tube called a proctoscope.
- Endo-anal or endorectal ultrasound: A procedure in which an ultrasound transducer (probe) is inserted into the anus or rectum and used to bounce high-energy sound waves (ultrasound) off internal tissues or organs and make echoes. The echoes form a picture of body tissues called a sonogram.
- Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer. If an abnormal area is seen during the anoscopy, a biopsy may be done at that time.
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Riverside Cancer Care Center answered
The prognosis (chance of recovery) depends on the following:
- The size of the tumor
- Where the tumor is in the anus
- Whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
The treatment options depend on the following:
- The stage of the cancer
- Where the tumor is in the anus
- Whether the patient has human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Whether cancer remains after initial treatment or has recurred
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Riverside Cancer Care Center answeredThree main types of standard treatment are used: chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Most often a combination of chemotherapy and radiation is used, avoiding surgery when possible. Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, usually 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin. Radiation therapy kills or disrupts cancerous cells using high-energy X-rays directed at the cancer (a process known as external-beam radiation therapy) or radioactive substances implanted in or near the cancer (brachytherapy). Surgical treatment physically removes the cancerous tissue.
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Riverside Cancer Care Center answered
The following are the stages of anal cancer:
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)
In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the innermost lining of the anus. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.Stage I
In stage I, cancer has formed and the tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller.Stage II
In stage II, the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters.Stage IIIA
Lymph nodes near the rectum; or Nearby organs, such as the vagina, urethra, and bladder.
In stage IIIA, the tumor may be any size and has spread to either:Stage IIIB
To nearby organs and to lymph nodes near the rectum; or To lymph nodes on one side of the pelvis and/or groin, and may have spread to nearby organs; or To lymph nodes near the rectum and in the groin, and/or to lymph nodes on both sides of the pelvis and/or groin, and may have spread to nearby organs.
In stage IIIB, the tumor may be any size and has spread:Stage IV
In stage IV, the tumor may be any size and cancer may have spread to lymph nodes or nearby organs and has spread to distant parts of the body.This answer is based on source information from the National Cancer Institute.